A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE - photo 1
A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE - photo 2

A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE

Lot 118
21.10.2025 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 107 950
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
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ID 1506878
Lot 118 | A LARGE IRIDESCENT AMMONITE
Estimate value
$ 150 000 – 250 000
Strong iridescences of red, orange, green and rarely seen purple appear in the 17x16-inch Placenticeras interclare from the upper Cretaceous, Bearpaw formation (75-72 million years ago), placed in shale matrix supported with wall mounting.
The opal like iridescence of these ammonites from Alberta, Canada has been termed ammolite and since 1981 has had the status of a gemstone. The shimmering, metallic colours were caused by the combination of millions of years of compression and the mineralization of iron, copper and silica which precipitated from volcanic ash. The opalescent layers of colour are particularly prized in the Chinese philosophical system of Feng-Shui.
The ammonites are a group of molluscs that lived in the seas from the mid-Devonian (approximately 400 million years ago) to the end of the Cretaceous (65 million years ago). The sequence of events that famously killed off the dinosaurs also drove the ammonites to extinction.
42 x 35 x 5 in. (107 x 89 x 13 cm.)
Category:Ammonite
Auction house category:Fossils
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
07.10.2025 – 21.10.2025
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
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