Ammonites
The Gem Shop has new Ammonites! The Ammonites are available as a whole natural fossil, opalized, or split pairs. The ammonites that are in their natural state show great detail on the outside of the fossil. The Opalized Ammonites have a great irridescent shine to the outer shell, and the split pairs show wonderful coloring and calcite deposits. Ammonites are prehistoric nautilus related to the modern day nautilus, squid, and octopus family. Ammonites are called cephalopods because their heads and tentacles protruded out of the same opening; they grew by building larger chambers on their shells. They averaged to 6" in diameter. These specimens were found in Majanga, Madagascar and they date back to the Cretaceous period (65 - 146 million years ago). Ammonite species are classified by their suture line patterns on the outer shell. Placenticeras Meeki is smooth shelled, and is believed to be the female species. Placenticeras Intercalare has ridges or a "horned" appearance, and is the rarer of the two and is believed to be the male species. The Ammonites make for unique home decoration, a beautiful jewelry piece, or a perfect addition to a collection. View all of our Ammonites on our site: http://thegemshop.com/collections/fossils-minerals-1/ammonites
Fossil Hunt Contest Winners The winning fossils from this summer's Fossil Hunt Contest are now on display in The Gem Shop until the end of October. Stop by and see what these young geologists were able to find exploring for fossils. Andrew Casper found a whale vertebrae and won first place! Micaiah Severe captured second place with her horned coral fossil. Congratulations to all who entered! The entire list of winners can be viewed on our site: http://thegemshop.com/pages/2013-fossil-hunt-contest
