Lot 44
SUPERB IRIDESCENT AMMONITE ◆
BEARPAW FORMATION, CANADA, UPPER CRETACEOUS, 75 - 72 MILLION YEARS B.P.
Auction: 30 November 2022 at 14:00 GMT
Estimate: £50,000 - £70,000
Description
specimen of Placenticeras meeki showing iridescence of blue, red, green, yellow and orange to both sides
Dimensions
45 x 45cm
Footnote
Note:
Once a living creature, a large mollusc living in the shallow temperate seas in what is now central Canada, the eons have literally transformed this specimen into a gemstone. Over millions of years, continual compession and the interaction of various minerals have transformed the shell into the opal-like gemstone ammolite. Significant deposits of this substance are only found at the Bearpaw Formation, with the present piece being a particular magnificent example.