Ammolite Stone: Can It Be Used in Jewelry Untreated?

Question
I have an untreated ammolite stone and I am told it is of the highest quality.  I would like to put a gold bail on it but do not want it cut into a gem stone but I want to know if the gem stone has to be treated in any way.  I do not want to damage the stone by making it into an item of jewelry without any treatment if you have to treat it.  I want to make the best out of this stone without harming it in any way.  It is a glorous multicoloured stone, front and back.  Please can you advise as soon as possible.  Can I make it into a pendant without cutting it and do I need to treat it to get the best out of it.  Your advice please.  Susan  Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Answer
Susan, ammolite is so beautiful and is also so fragile. Most used in jewelry has either an epoxy or plastic coating or is made as  doublet. A doublet is an ammolite with a clear cap over the material, a cap of quartz. Have you seen opal triplets? These stones have a thin seam of opal between a black backing and a quartz cap. Ammolite is done the same way but the backing is not needed. The quartz protects the delicate layers which give this most beautiful gem its color play.

To use the unprotected gem alone in a pendant is asking for a short lived beauty.  Each day the stone will receive minute damage to its soft material and eventually will not be the fascinating gift of previous life as an ammonite and fossilization into ammolite we can hold and behold as so lovely.

With delicate care the stone may be cut but I do not suggest a pendant or other jewelry wear unless a protective cap is there. That means the surface must be sanded flat to fit a flat backed quartz layer.  Done properly with a suitable stone, all is fine. Then again, some stones are just too beautiful to disturb. I have a few stones of other sorts (not ammolite) purchased with the intention of using in jewelry and these have become special pieces to admire as each is from the earth, not cut and not made into jewelry.

Susan, I do hope this information will help you make your decision. Remember, the ammolite composed of layers and that causes the color. These layers are of fairly soft mineral materials, such as one called aragonite. This is quite soft compared to what is around us overall.

God Bless and Peace.  Thomas.

PS. Use the follow-up to get back on this question if need be.