Beautiful opalescent heart - Ammolite heart

An opalescent Ammolite heart from Canada, Alberta. The individual iridescence variation of this piece documents the exact position of the material's origin within the original ammonite shell.

A complete Placenticeras shell had several growth zones with varying iridescence quality. The inner area (closer to the animal) typically shows the most intense iridescence, while the outer shell edge has less pronounced iridescence characteristics.

Manual material selection in the Lethbridge workshops primarily selects the inner shell areas for jewelry processing. Premium pieces like this heart come from the highest iridescence quality zone.

Stabilization is achieved through triplet processing, where the thin Ammolite layer is enclosed between shale and quartz glass for mechanical stability and protection against wear.

A Canadian collector's item with inner shell selection and triplet stabilization premium classification.