Ammonite On Bronze
The story of Studio Greytak’s Ammonite on Bronze begins 71 million years ago in a vast, tropical inland sea on the eastern border of today’s Rocky Mountains. The exotic species that shared the warm waters—marine reptiles, sharks, fish, and shellfish—all grew to massive proportions by current standards. The ammonite was one of the most prolific and adaptable, a clever, soft-bodied creature something like the modern octopus that built its own shell from the calcite and aragonite in the surrounding seawater.
The first chambers the tiny ammonite constructed are still visible in the center of this vibrant fossil. As it thrived and grew, it added ever larger chambers, here spreading outward in an elegant, symmetrical spiral. The smaller inner chambers controlled buoyancy and allowed the ammonite to swim freely through the water. At the end of the ammonite’s life, its shell drifted down to the bottom of the sea and was buried in sediment. The protective layer of mud and silt cocooned the shell and provided the perfect environment for an amazing transformation.
Over the next seventy million years, under immense pressure, the aragonite in the shell converted to a layer of iridescent ammolite and preserved details of the ammonite’s growth and life in vivid shades of red, orange, and green. The spectral color comes from interference with light as it rebounds from the stacked layer of the thin platelets that make up the aragonite. Although there are tiny flashes of blue and purple, the abundance of reds and greens in this piece indicate a thick layer of ammolite. Curiously, just above and below the center of the spiral, a series of round, gray marks interrupt the opalescent rainbow. These ancient divots are a sign that this ammonite may be evidence of dinosaur bites from a predatory mosasaur.
Metaphysically, the combination of ammonite fossil and ammolite gem creates one of the most powerful manifesting stones, and for Feng Shui practitioners, it is considered immensely influential. Each chamber overflows with cosmic energy and wisdom collected over the last seventy million years. Infinite possibilities flow through a shape so reminiscent of the golden spiral. And each color in the rainbow shimmering beneath its smooth surface brings its own set of powers: red for luck, passion, and energy; orange for creativity; yellow for balance; green for growth and wisdom; a dash of peaceful blue and authoritative purple.
In the spring of 2013 at a site in Alberta, Canada, this exceptional ammonite was collected still within the shale matrix. A layer of contoured bronze, the metal that lifted humanity from the Stone Ages, makes a fitting base. Bronze is often associated with fire because of its reddish color and its physical origins. Ancient Sumerians used copper- and tin-rich rocks to build campfire rings. As the stones became heated, the metals melted and mixed, forming this world-changing metal. Bronze brought tools, jewelry, building materials, art, weapons, and a new sense of value to the ancient world. Bronze takes on the properties of both copper, the conduit between Heaven and Earth, and the sensual and electrifying tin. In addition, bronze is generally thought to enhance courage and bring good luck.
With Ammonite on Bronze as a centerpiece in the home or the office, all the gifts of the universe are within reach.
