Description
The universe has 13.8 billion years of history. Some of it fits in your hand. When an ammonite shell dissolves and is replaced atom by atom by silica spheres of uniform size, the result is an opalized fossil — a creature’s geometry wearing a gem’s colors. Lightning Ridge ammonites are among the most arresting objects in palaeontology: the form of something 100 million years old, in the colors of a fire.
This specimen originates from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
