Canmore Ammonite Gem Factory
Miner & producer of ammolite since 1987. Mine direct prices. Factory tours. Natural fossil gens & jewellery for purchase.
Colourful ammolite genstones come from fossil shells of ammonite sea creatures that lived in a warm island sea 70 million years ago.
Gem grade ammolite is mined exclusively in the Bearspaw formation east of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Because gen grade material has only been found in Southern Alberta, the government has plans to designate ammolite the province's official gemstone.
The value of ammolite is determined largely by colour. High grades have three of more primary colours, while in lower grades one colour predominates. Blues and purples are rare and valuable, as are prism-like ammolites that display varying colours when the stone is viewed from different angles. Ammolites with large and bright swathes of colour are prized.
At the Ammonite Gem Factory you can purchase natural fossils, polished and capped gemstones, and finished jewellery.