Enchanted Designs: Where Ancient Fossils Become Brilliant Timeless Masterpieces

Enchanted Designs Ltd., conceived in 1988 by Tom Chant, provides the finest quality and brilliantly colored ammonite fossils, ammolite jewelry, and gemstones to private collectors, researchers, and museums. Chant has been prospecting and discovering ammolite and semi-precious gem deposits since the 1980s. His passion has naturally transitioned into a thriving operation at the forefront of the gem world. This Canadian mining company now includes twenty-one employees, including President Christine Wigley, with her twenty-seven years’ experience; Marketing Director John Issa, bringing twenty-five years of experience in the ammolite industry; and Tom Chant, leading the operation with his forty-plus years of industry expertise. 

Ammolite, one of the rarest gemstones in the world, has been considered sacred in Blackfoot folklore for over 1,000 years. Formed from the fossilized nacre of ancient, now-extinct ammonite shells found in an inland sea east of the Rocky Mountains over seventy million years ago, this colorful biogenic beauty displays opal-like iridescence similar to Australian black opal. It gained its official gemstone designation from CIBJO (World Jewellry Confederation) in 1981 when commercial mining began and was subsequently named the official gemstone of Lethbridge (2007) and Alberta (2022). Ammolite is almost exclusively mined in this southern region of Alberta, Canada, within a six-square-mile area, nearly 65 miles from its Montana border in the United States.

For over four decades, Enchanted Designs has mined the Bearpaw Formation. Recently, they unveiled a new four-acre mining site and are thrilled to share their latest discoveries. Their operation is located in the heart of “Ammolite Country” by the Lethbridge Ammonite Mining District in southern Alberta, Canada. Here, in a region dedicated to working alongside Blackfoot indigenous communities, the fossils are hand-restored, gems are hand-cut and polished, and jewelry is hand-set—considerations appreciated by the institutions, professionals, and amateurs they work with worldwide. One of Enchanted Design's largest and most stunning multi-colored ammonite fossil specimens was accepted for display at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Gaining recognition from such a prestigious institution has been a standout achievement in Enchanted Design's career.

Enchanted Designs is a proud member of the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences and the American Gem Trade Association with an alumni member of the Gemological Institute of America. The resulting products of their efforts in bringing natural history to the open market can be found in their online shop and during the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, the Denver Gem & Mineral (Fall) Showcase, and numerous shows in Hong Kong throughout the year. 

Visit Enchanted Designs' profile page on Xpo Press for detailed information about their various show locations and dates, as well as contact information, photos, and website links.