Madagascar/ Canada

Name: A PAIR OF INLAID AMMONITES
Brand: Madagascar/ Canada
Price: 1000.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 1,260

Estimate

GBP 2,000 - GBP 4,000

Closed: 24 May 2023

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A PAIR OF INLAID AMMONITES

Madagascar/ Canada

Price Realised GBP 1,260

Closed: 24 May 2023

Price Realised GBP 1,260

Closed: 24 May 2023

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

A pair of Cleoniceras sp. Madagascan Ammonites, split, polished, and inlaid with Canadian Ammolite, creating a decorative effect with a vibrant flash. The pair are mounted on bespoke stands.

each: 4⁷⁄₈ x 4 x ³⁄₈in. (12.5 x 10 x 1cm.)
with stand: 6³⁄₄in. (17cm.) high

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

Brought to you by

James HyslopHead of Department, Science & Natural History

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

jhyslop@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7752 3205

Lot Essay

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.

This Madagascan ammonite has been inlaid with iridescent Canadian ammonites. Their opal like finish of these mmonites 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.