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Simbircite
Simbircite belongs to the category of fascinating minerals known only by a small number of people who can truly appreciate natural beauty.
It was discovered in the 19th century in the Russian city Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk).
This mineral belongs to the calcite class. Its closest relative is onyx. It consists of pyrite, limestone, mother-of-pearl, marl, hematite, calcite and golden onyx marble, which serves as the basis for this bizarre compound. Deposits of rock layers take 65-90 million years to form, covering more than one geological era.
Simbircite in its "raw form" is a huge black ball (concretion) approximately 1 meter in diameter. Such concretions are known as septaria. Septaria (from the Latin septum - partition) is one of the varieties of cryptocrystalline nodules in sedimentary rocks, with cracks or partitions inside. Despite the fact that the concretion is quite large, the simbircite vein is usually about 5-8 cm.
Therefore, a product made of simbircite cannot be uniform, a solid color and can never be without dark inclusions. A section of concretion has very bright and contrasting patterns. The extraction of simbircite is carried out only during 5 months of the year in an open way, by manual collection. The deposits are extremely limited, about 15 or even less of these nodules can be collected per season.
Ammonite simbircite is one of the varieties of simbircite. But unlike veined simbircite, which is formed in huge concretions, ammonite symbircite was formed in the shells of fossilized mollusks - ammonites. Ammonite has been known to man since ancient times. Originality of shapes, colors, as well as age, measured by many millions of years give ammonites their attractiveness. Ammonites are widely used in interior design and as an ornamental material for souvenirs.
The internal structure of ammonites is determined by the size and pattern of the walls, partitions of the original shell, mineral composition that fills the chambers, as well as the color and textural features. Of course, not all ammonites have symbircite filling. Probably you yourself have already figured out that it is incredibly rare and great luck to find such a sample.
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