Excellent Alexandrite

The history of alexandrite is a fascinating one. Most of the gemstones that are popular in today’s jewelry world have been around for a very long time. Alexandrite has been discovered much more recently than any of the other gemstones, and the story is pretty neat. They are also a rare type of gemstone, with some cool and unique properties that make them perfect for special pieces like an alexandrite necklace or ring. Here is their story.

History

Alexandrite was originally discovered in Russia and got its name from the Russian Prince Alexander ll. They were originally discovered in a Russian emerald mine. The miners working in the mine brought up some gems they thought were emeralds because of their green color. It was only later by fire light that they noticed that the stones had begun to shine a brilliant red. They were surprised, but even more so when the next morning the gems were once again green. There is no way to know exactly what they thought they had found, but this was the first documented find of the gem alexandrite as it is known today. Interestingly enough, for a long time the gems were only found in Russia, but more recently sources of the gem have been found in other areas of the world such as Sri Lanka and Brazil.

Unique Properties

Alexandrite is actually a form of the mineral chrysoberyl, similar to the semi-precious stone cat’s eye. What makes an alexandrite necklace unique is the presence of chromium to the iron and titanium impurities that makes up the colors in the gem. Alexandrite is also one of the few gems that possesses an ability called pleochroism, which is the ability to change color. Alexandrite changes color depending on the type of light that is passing through it. Under regular sunlight it appears green, but when you hold it over light that has more red rays in it, such as firelight, it appears a brilliant red color instead, sometimes looking like garnet or ruby rather than the emerald that its sunlit state is compared to.

Eye of the Beholder

Is this the gemstone for you? That depends on what you are looking for. There are a lot of beautiful options out there, and an alexandrite necklace is definitely one of the amazing choices that are definitely worth a little bit of your time and attention. Check out this amazing gemstone, and then decide if it catches your eye and heart. You wouldn’t be the first.