Are these Pyrite Ammonites real fossils?

[GallinaPinta]

Hello! I'm very new to fossils and this is my first time posting here. So if I made any mistake please forgive me. I want to buy an ammonite but I've never had one before so I know nothing about them, so it's best if I ask the experts before I reach into my pocket. These things inspire so much curiosity and wonder in me, and the fact that I can actually have a real fossil that's millions of years old amazes me! So are these real? If so, how do you know? 

[Ludwigia]

Yes they are real. I know through experience.

[Raggedy Man]

9 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

Yes they are real. I know through experience.

I hear they tend to decay over time due to pyrite disease? As in oxidation of the Fe. Is there a compound used to help prevent this? 

[Ludwigia]

19 minutes ago, Raggedy Man said:

I hear they tend to decay over time due to pyrite disease? As in oxidation of the Fe. Is there a compound used to help prevent this? 

 

That's true, but it varies. Some last for a long time, others only a few years or less. Depends partly on whether it's a pyrite or marcasite pseudomorphose. Pyrite is generally more stable. They've been working at the geological institute in Tuebingen for decades trying to find a solution to the problem, since they have a basement full of pyritized ichtyosaurs and such from the lower jurassic stored down there, but as yet they've not found the final solution. Museums use complicated chemical combinations combined with heat treatment to get the last drop of liquid out before the fossils are sealed. I keep it simple. Make sure they are completely dry (you can do a heat treatment, but have to be careful since they may get damaged if you heat and cool down too quickly. Then I submerge them in a half-half combination of Zapon laquer, which is an anti-oxidation agent, and acetone for a few minutes, take them out and put them on crumpled aluminum foil to dry out. You still have to keep an eye on the fossils over the years, though, in case they start to blossom out. Then you brush them off and repeat the process. Nevertheless, I've had to give up on a few of them.

 

[fossiling]

looks real to me, nice "fake gold" colour to me!

[tmaier]

I'm not familiar with these, but I imagine that handling these would be pretty bad? The fingers have moisture and acids on them. Is that a problem? Is there a better way to handle them?

But then just in the air you also get moisture and acids... so it is always under attack.