Rare 11-inch gemstone worth $500,000 stolen from Vancouver store VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Two thieves stole a rare Canadian gemstone worth $500,000 from a Vancouver store, police said. The suspects smashed the window at Rocks and Gems Canada in Gastown at 4 a.m. Friday, making off with the 11-inch ammolite gemstone. The stone, made of fossilized shells of ammonites, a prehistoric giant mollusk, is found primarily on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Ammolite is considered a national treasure in Canada and applicants must receive permission from the government before removing it from the country, police said. The Vancouver Sun reported nothing else was taken by the thieves or dozens of passers-by. Store salesman Zee He said the ammolite was not insured. Surveillance video shows one suspect keeping watch while another smashed the window and took the gemstone, He said.