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Alexandrite Gemstone

Alexandrite gemstoneAlexandrite gemstone
Chrysoberyl is a very hard and durable gemstone, harder than all mineral species except diamond.  When cut well, gems are brilliant but lack fire effect which is found in diamond. Chrysoberyl gems are among the world’s rarest varieties. The name Chrysoberyl is Greek, referring to the golden color of yellow Chrysoberyl. Alexandrite is a famous variety of Chrysoberyl. It is famous for its dramatic color change from emerald green in daylight to red, mauve, or brown in incandescent light or candlelight. The color changing habit has led to the description of “emerald by day and ruby by night” for this gemstone. Chromium, Iron, and Titanium are coloring agents for beautiful this gemstone. Alexandrite was discovered in emerald mines of the Ural Mountains in 1830 and was named after the Russian czar Alexander II and was the national stone of czarist Russia. It is worth noting that, the color changing property of the gemstone tends to be less dramatic in most of the non-Russian ones. As it mentioned before alexandrite is a very scarce gemstone and high-quality alexandrite is one of the most expensive of all the precious gemstones.

alexandrite sources

Although the best-quality alexandrite comes from Russia, fine examples of the gemstone have also been found in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Tanzania, India, Myanmar, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe. You can find our interactive map for gemstone of the world Here.

alexandrite  treatment

Alexandrite is not treated usually, but it is one of the most misidentified stones in jewellery today because of the various imitations and synthetics on the market.  Synthetic alexandrite has the same chemical makeup and crystal structure as natural alexandrite, but it is made in a laboratory or factory. Prices for synthetic material are a fraction of those for comparable quality natural, but they vary depending on the method used in material’s manufacture.

alexandrite gemstone in jewellery

Polished cut alexandrite gemstoneGreen Alexandrite gemstone
Alexandrite is a very hard and durable gemstone therefore it is very ideal for all types of designs including rings, earrings, pendants, brooches, pins and pendants. Alexandrite gemstone is very rate, small, and expensive therefore it is used as accent stones rather than centre stones. It should be noted that, alexandrite is the official gemstone for celebrating the 55 years of marriage. Shop from our amazon-powered store Here or alternatively shop for alexandrite jewellery directly from amazon.com.

alexandrite gemstone care

Alexandrite is a very hard and durable gemstone therefore it can be cleaned in both steam and ultrasonic cleaners. However great heat may change the color of the gemstone it should not be exposed to a great heat. For the same reason alexandrite jewellery is very easy to wear. As with any colored gemstone, professional cleaning is recommended, as accumulated dirt gives the gemstone a dull appearance.

alexandrite  basic properties table

Chemical Formula Beryllium aluminum oxide
BeAl2O4
Color Golden-yellow, green-yello, green, red
Hardness 8.5 on the Mohs scale
Crystal System Orthorhombic
Refractive Index 1.746 to 1.763
Cleavage
Good
Specific Gravity (SG)
 3.71
Transparency
Transparent to opaque
Lustre Vitreous