Alexandrite Gemstone Auction from $1

Alexandrite Information Page

Known in Russia as the “gem of the tsars”, color change Alexandrite is truly a miraculous gemstone. Often described as “Emerald by day” and “Ruby by night”, when viewed under sunlight, Alexandrite appears teal to forest green, but when seen by candlelight, it appears violet, crimson red, raspberry, purple or orange.

Scant availability, remarkable color change, excellent durability and a sparkling “adamantine” or Diamond-like luster, makes Alexandrite a “must have” for any true jewelry connoisseur. A rare variety of Chrysoberyl, Alexandrite ranks alongside Tanzanite and Padparadscha Sapphire as one of the world’s most coveted gemstones.
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Early one chilly October morning in 1830 a Russian peasant, Maxim Stefanovitch Koshevnikov, was making his way through the silver birch forests along the banks of the Tokovaya River. Tripping on the exposed roots of a large tree felled by a storm, he discovered some green gemstones. Quickly identified as Emeralds, by 1831 this deposit in Russia’s Ural Mountains was being mined.

The Tokovaya Emerald mines also yielded other gemstones, including a new one that had the strange ability to change color. When viewed under sunlight, rich green colors appeared but when seen by candlelight it displayed red hues. The gem was named “Alexandrite” after the young Tsarevitch, who was crowned Tsar Alexander II in 1855. Legend has it that Alexandrite was discovered by Emerald miners on his birthday, April 23, 1830, the year the Russian heir apparent came of age. However, Vitaliy Repej, a Ukrainian Alexandrite specialist, believes that Alexandrite was actually discovered on April 3, 1834 by the Tzar’s famous Finnish mineralogist Dr. Nils Nordenskjold and wasn’t officially called Alexandrite until 1842

Its birthday aside, this new gem created a sensation - everyone wanted an Alexandrite! But this was certainly no fun for the miners. Following the sparse Alexandrite veins through pegmatite rock with hand dug trenches, open pits and small tunnels, mining was very primitive to say the least. Imagine working through long winters plagued by biting cold and blinding snowdrifts. Summer brought no respite, just great swarms of gnats, mosquitoes and gadflies.

The fortuity of the discovery of Alexandrite on the future Tsar’s birthday was considered manifold as the colors displayed by this unusual gem can mirror the Imperial Russian military colors of red and green. Possessing dual nationalistic connotations, Alexandrite quickly gained popularity in Russia, where it was believed to bring good luck.

Because of its two colors, in Russia it is also believed to invite loneliness if you only wear one piece of Alexandrite jewelry.

Alexandrite is believed by crystal healers to strengthen the wearer’s intuition in critical situations. Some also attribute Alexandrite with the ability to aid creativity and inspire imagination. Alex on Auction ?

In gemology, it is correct to call any Chrysoberyl that changes color Alexandrite. The nomenclature is not dependent on the colors of the change. However, Alexandrite’s color change is dependant on pure light sources (pure candescent light to pure incandescent light, for example sunlight to candlelight).

Interestingly, the color change effect is not unique to Alexandrite. Many gem types display color change, such as Sapphire and Garnet. However, the degree of color change exhibited by Alexandrite is the most extreme encountered in natural gems.

Similar to Emeralds, inclusions are a common feature in Alexandrite. Far from being flaws, inclusions record a gem’s natural relationship with the earth. Given the prevalence of synthetic Alexandrite, they are also a fascinating hallmark of authenticity that helps us distinguish real gems from artificial impostors.

Arguably, one of the best uses of Alexandrite is in earrings and pendants. In this position, the vibrancy of Alexandrite’s color change is easily noticed. Alexandrite rings are also popular, as it is a very tough gem with a hardness that is only transcended by Rubies, Sapphires or Diamonds.

Because of this gem’s scarcity, Alexandrite is found in a wide variety of shapes and sizes faceted to maximize the carat weight and beauty of each individual crystal. Alex on Auction ?

Coveted for their beautiful and mysterious optical effects, when you look at a Cat’s Eye Alexandrite you can see a single band of light on its surface. Technically known as “chatoyancy”, this intriguing phenomenon is unique to the world of gemstones. It is caused by minerals reflecting a band of light back to the eye like a mirror. Cat’s Eye Alexandrite makes particularly stunning signet rings and is a powerful display of a unique sense of style.

While beautiful Alexandrite is available from other locales, among Alexandrite connoisseurs, Russian Alexandrite maintains an historical pedigree that is highly coveted. In 1898 Edwin Streeter wrote in Precious Stones & Gems: “The wonderful Alexandrite is an Emerald by day and an Amethyst at night. Its market value is extremely variable, and sometimes as much as £20 per carat is paid for a fine stone”. Today, the same Russian Alexandrite is worth many thousands of pounds!

Although the Tokovaya deposit closed only after a few decades, limited mining resumed in 1995. To date, very little mining of Russian Alexandrite is taking place. In December 2005, Colored Stone reported that “there have been unconfirmed reports of new activity in this area, but no significant amount of material has hit the market yet”. While it is a country rich in gemstones, since the fall of the Soviet Union much of Russia’s gems have not been mined due to both economic conditions and outdated mining practices. Interesting, both De Beers (a famed Diamond consortium) and Russian geologists are currently surveying Russian Diamond reserves and an offshoot of this exploration may be the discovery of new Alexandrite deposits. Regardless, very little Russian Alexandrite is available and those lucky enough to own one truly are custodians of a gem from a bygone era.

While it wasn’t until 1996 that the tribal peoples of Andhra Pradesh unearthed the first hints of Alexandrite in the Araku Valley, since its discovery Indian Alexandrite has endured a history as turbulent as Imperial Russia. From much needed mining regulation in 1999, to the destruction of coastal mines during the 2004 Tsunami, Indian Alexandrite has certainly had its ups and downs. Displaying teal apple greens with changes ranging from orange raspberries to grape, the first Alexandrite ever featured on GemsTV was from Vishnakahaputnam in Andhra Pradesh, India. Always on the hunt for this stunning gem, we recently encountered Indian Alexandrite from a new locale whose rich colors are reminiscent of Alexandrite from the original Russian deposit. Today, Indian Alexandrite primarily hails from Narsipattnanm, 62 miles inland from the first discovery in Vishnakahaputnam. It is characterized by an intense green with an incredible color change that ranges from vibrant Amethyst, to Ruby red and reddish purple. Formed hundreds of millions of years ago during the Palaeozoic era, it is believed that the pegmatite rocks found at the location of Alexandrite’s discovery in the Urals in Russia and at Narsipattnanm are the same. Mining Indian Alexandrite is a dangerous business and the tribal miners risk life and limb tunneling muddy soil to a depth of 30 meters to find rocks rich with tiny clusters of Alexandrite.

While gems from the famous Brazilian state of Minas Gerais have enchanted the world for over 100 years, good quality Alexandrite was only discovered in 1987. As with other mines containing pegmatite rocks, Brazilian Alexandrite is found in rugged areas that can be difficult to access. Usually mined using primitive hand tools, one of the most famous exceptions is the Hematitia mine, whose beautiful Alexandrite is now regrettably depleted. Although the majority of Brazilian Alexandrite is heavily included or translucent, a tiny amount of better quality gems have been unearthed. In 2004, a new pocket of Brazilian Alexandrite was discovered, yielding blue green Alexandrite that changed to a delightful raspberry red.

Mines in Madagascar, Tanzania and Mozambique, have been producing good quality Alexandrite for several years. African Alexandrite is typically located in wet regions near rivers and mined by digging through river beds by hand to unearth the Alexandrite rich pegmatite rock.

For approximately 90 years Russia and Sri Lanka were the only know sources of Alexandrite. Obtained from alluvial gravels (in contrast to most other deposits that are mined from host pegmatite rock), Sri Lankan Alexandrite is characterized by a fine Sapphire green color in daylight with a change to columbine red, similar to purplish red Spinel, in incandescent light.
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