Obtain an ammonite fossil. They can be found from various sources on line, and depending on the size can start around $15.00 and up to $200.00 to $300.00 for the larger ones. Therefore there will be gem on "both sides" of the Ammonite, and you have to decide where to cut it. The shell minerals calcite and aragonite, fluoresces and phosphoresces greenish-white under UV light. Let them sit for a few weeks. This fantastic unit is just what you need for preparation of trilobites, dinosaur bones, fossil fish, ammonites and more. The ammonites from the Upper Cretaceous of Hokkaido are particularly fascinating and well-known among experts. Enjoy! Left: A pyritised ammonite found at Charmouth. Difficult with this material, but the closest I can suggest is the Kimmeridgian genus Aulacostephanus. Placenticeras meeki is the King of Ammonite fossils. Ammonite begins in the 1840s, with Anning fossicking along the Lyme Regis coast, living in poverty with her mother (to whom she barely speaks) at the back of their family shop, Anning’s Fossils and Curios. Wrap the wet ammonites in a damp towel, or several layers of damp newspaper. Right: A giant chalk ammonite exposed on the foreshore at Peacehaven. Remember, the Ammonite is a Nautiliod and shaped accordingly, albeit flattened out somewhat from the pressures of time. These coiled and iridescent beauties grew up to to three feet in diameter. These creatures lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. Using new preparation methods, we can now remove the specimen completely from the matrix and mount on a designer stand. The problem is that they dry too fast. Evidence is the overall size, the rib density, probable separation into Macroconchs and microconchs on this slab, the faint bullae on the primary ribs near the umbilicus and the tendency towards a smooth keel, evident on the flattened fragment on the far left. Especially the bizarre-looking heteromorph ammonites are admired by collectors around the world. Like octopus, squid, and cuttlefish, ammonites were cephalopods, though only their shells are preserved in the fossil record. How to prepare an ammonite from the Jurassic Coast. The Wobbly Fossiler is a professional fossil preparator and provides his fossil prep services. You should try and keep about ½ " of shale still attached to the Ammonite Gem. In reality, Anning sold fossils from a shop called Anning’s Fossil Depot she purchased at the age of 27. This method may work for you. This should allow a slow enough dry out that they don't rip themselves apart. Step 1: AMMONITE FOSSIL PREPARATION. In order to be fossilised, a dead ammonite would need to settle to the seabed, where it would be buried by sediment. My brother is passionate about fossils and made this video on how he prepared one of his ammonites that he and I would like to share. Ammonites are perhaps the most widely known fossil, possessing the typically ribbed spiral-form shell as pictured above. Since I most enjoy the preparation of fossils as part of our beloved hobby, I had the desire to prepare a few of these ammonites myself. The slow drying of the towel/newspaper will draw the moisture from the fossils. Place your ammonite fossil on several layers of newspapers and make sure the fossil is free from any loose particles or dust. This is an amazing unit produced by Vaniman, and is for sale by Fossil Shack. This air abrasive unit is a must-have for all those who prepare fossils. This arnioceras ammonite fossil has been prepped from the nodule, using fossil preparation tools such as an air pen (or air scribe) and air abrasives (dolomite powder). Various chemical processes are then involved in the formation of a fossil from the ammonite’s shell.