If you are interested in fossils and fossil collecting, the auction house Christie’s is offering a rare, 100-million-year-old petrified shell of an extinct Canadian marine creature. This fossilized ammonite is expected to sell for a meager price, between $40,275 and $67,125. The ammonite fossil boasts naturally occurring iridescent colors, which were created when the original shell substance turned into a mineral called aragonite. It’s extremely rare, as the precious stone with bright and iridescent colors comes exclusively from southern Alberta. It’s the smaller of two ammonites being auctioned, and the bigger one is expected to fetch over $100,000. Recently, a 50-cm Alberta ammonite (completely opalized green, blue, yellow and red) went for $60,000 at a New York auction. Pierre Pare, president of Calgary-based Korite International Ltd., said that the prices have been going up because there’s more and more awareness about the ammonite’s beauty and relative rarity. The exceptional thing will be auctioned off at the Natural History sale in Paris on April 7.
