Seasons turn, colors fade, worlds are lost to time. But nature’s memory is deep & bountiful, guarding ancient works of art such as these, preserved by her miraculous alchemy. These Ammonite fossils have acquired an armor of fiery opal: As the calcium in the shell decayed, it was replaced atom-by-atom with amorphous silicon, transforming the dull material into immortal gemstone which dances with light & color. The Ammonite is an prehistoric mollusk which lived during the Jurassic & Cretaceous periods, roughly 200 to 66 million years ago. They are the ancient ancestors of cephalopods such as nautilus, octopus, & squid. It’s Greek name is ammonis cornua, “The Horn of Ammon,” for the spiral shape of their shells resembles the coiled horns of a bull or ram, like those which adorned the ancient Egyptian sun god Ammon. Each Ammonite is a unique relic of ages past, an aeon-forged treasure from another time & another world. Each is cradled in a spiraling cage of cast bronze. On its reverse side, behold the glorious Fibonacci sequence, The Golden Spiral, the one of the most sacred forms in art & nature. This listing is for the larger Ammonite option. (Aprox 2 inches wide) The smaller size is also available. Matching chains can be found here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Hibernacula?section_id=7640809 Ammonite Reliquary - Fossil Red Opal in Bronze Or Silver