Earrings Sterling Silver Ammonite

Earrings Sterling Silver Hammered Square Handmade

Ammonites are perhaps the most widely known fossil, possessing the typically ribbed spiral-form shell. These creatures lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. The name 'ammonite' (usually lower-case) originates from the Greek Ram-horned god called Ammon. Ammonites belong to a group of predators known as cephalopods, which includes their living relatives the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus.

Nowadays, ammonite fossils are often found in most sedimentary rocks from the Devonian to Cretaceous periods, and outcrops of these rocks can be found in mountains and sedimentary basins. Such outcrops include quarries, sea coasts, river shores, deserts, canyons and even underground cellars.

But the best place for fossils is just south of Robin Hood's Bay at Port Mulgrave, North Yorkshire where you can find ammonites as well as dinosaur and reptile fossils. These can be found on the foreshore, particularly after stormy seas, or you can try the scree slopes on the cliffs.