Ammonite preparation recommendations

[makias]

Hi all, to start -- I'm a beginner in this so excuse me if I ask things that may be obvious.

I was thinking about ways to improve this ammonite, but I wasn't sure what would be the best way forward.

Please let me know your ideas and what would you do to make it better.

Thanks!

[jpc]

What do you want to make better.  I don't think there is much you can do to this unless you want it to shine more.  

[Randyw]

I agree. It doesn’t look like there’s any matrix left to remove. Whoever prepped it did a really good job. To polish or shine it anymore will be removing what shell material remains and remove remaining diagnostic features…

[SPrice]

I'm brand spanking new on the forum, but have many years with my eye looking through a loupe for advertising agencies and commercial prepress shops prepping film negatives.

 

Were it mine...I would look at it in the morning...after you're wide awake but fresh. And put on your "big eyes" ... whatever magnification device you have, even some cheap 3.50 power reading glasses.  Just look at it for a bit and think it over.

 

I totally agree with the previous posts...it's been prepped well.  At some stage in prepping a fossil 'the point of diminishing returns' arrives. Maybe a coating of Paraloid? or a tiny test spot first? or not.

 

Other than that...A display stand! It's a beautiful fossil added to your collection. 

[FranzBernhard]

If it is stable, no coating is needed.

Yeah, go for a display stand!

[Bobby Rico]

These are normally pretty solid ammonites. I don’t the Nacre will show any more colour if it was prepared  more. It is a lovely ammonite , I have one myself. As the other have said a stand with a ID label is all it needs. 
 

cheers Bobby 

[makias]

Thank you all for the answers!
It is indeed well prepped. I was looking at the part where the sutures are exposed and thinking that perhaps I could make a cleaner cut of the shell or also the "stains" that maybe could be carefully removed, but I wasn't sure if it's really worth the effort.

[Ptychodus04]

On 8/8/2023 at 2:04 PM, makias said:

Thank you all for the answers!
It is indeed well prepped. I was looking at the part where the sutures are exposed and thinking that perhaps I could make a cleaner cut of the shell or also the "stains" that maybe could be carefully removed, but I wasn't sure if it's really worth the effort.

 

By "stains" are you referring to the coloring on the shell? If so, that is the natural iridescence of the ammonite shell. Doing anything to it will permanently remove it in most cases. If you want to expose the sutures, you can polish the shell off. That's not an unreasonable notion. These Madagascar ammonites are uber common and it would make a cool display to have one polished and another with shell on.

[Wrangellian]

19 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

By "stains" are you referring to the coloring on the shell? If so, that is the natural iridescence of the ammonite shell. Doing anything to it will permanently remove it in most cases. If you want to expose the sutures, you can polish the shell off. That's not an unreasonable notion. These Madagascar ammonites are uber common and it would make a cool display to have one polished and another with shell on.

Ones this size are not that common though, are they?

I was thinking this one could have both shell and exposed sutures in one specimen, it just needs a bit of tidying up perhaps where the shell is partially flaked off near the exposed sutures (by someone like you who has the right tools).

[Ptychodus04]

3 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Ones this size are not that common though, are they?

I was thinking this one could have both shell and exposed sutures in one specimen, it just needs a bit of tidying up perhaps where the shell is partially flaked off near the exposed sutures (by someone like you who has the right tools).

True, this one is on the larger side of ones I've seen but not what I would call rare. I saw crates of these the last time I was in Tucson. 

[Bobby Rico]

18 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

True, this one is on the larger side of ones I've seen but not what I would call rare. I saw crates of these the last time I was in Tucson. 

Yes this one of them classic gift shop fossils. Not to take anything a way from them, they are a beautiful Ammonite. I have one myself on display. 
 

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Bobby Rico

[Wrangellian]

10 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

True, this one is on the larger side of ones I've seen but not what I would call rare. I saw crates of these the last time I was in Tucson. 

10 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Yes this one of them classic gift shop fossils. Not to take anything a way from them, they are a beautiful Ammonite. I have one myself on display. 

If I could get down to Tucson I might have one myself, but so far all I've been able to find (online) at affordable prices are the smaller ones, and the zillions of polished/sliced ones of course.

Just took a look at the usual auction site (search terms 'Madagascar' and 'ammonite') and there are currently none below the C$288 level where I stopped looking - all are either polished and/or sliced in half, except for one almost pristine large one for US$80 or offer, but it has a squared-off aperture. 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Wrangellian

[Bobby Rico]

6 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

affordable prices

Keep looking mate, I am sure in time your find one at the right price.  

[Wrangellian]

12 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

Keep looking mate, I am sure in time your find one at the right price.  

Thanks Bobby, I'm not optimistic, prices for all kinds of fossils are getting out of hand these days (partly because of shipping). It's not the end of the world for me if I don't find one, but I'll keep my eye out.

[Ptychodus04]

On 8/23/2023 at 12:53 AM, Wrangellian said:

Thanks Bobby, I'm not optimistic, prices for all kinds of fossils are getting out of hand these days (partly because of shipping). It's not the end of the world for me if I don't find one, but I'll keep my eye out.

 

At those prices, a trip to Tucson doesn't seem overly expensive. 

 

I've only been to the show once (to deliver prepped fossils and pick up another lot to work on) and it was a bit overwhelming. I was there 2 days and only made it to a handful of places. Most of my time was spent handing out business cards to people that might need prep work. I only got to do a little shopping and that was buying for other folks. 

[Wrangellian]

5 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

At those prices, a trip to Tucson doesn't seem overly expensive. 

 

I've only been to the show once (to deliver prepped fossils and pick up another lot to work on) and it was a bit overwhelming. I was there 2 days and only made it to a handful of places. Most of my time was spent handing out business cards to people that might need prep work. I only got to do a little shopping and that was buying for other folks. 

Right - I imagine if I went down there with a couple C notes and bought up anything that caught my eye I could probably save money even with the travel expenses (well, maybe not, but it would be a fun trip, and eye-opening for sure just to see everything on show).