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Alexandrite
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Although its component elements of beryllium, aluminum, and oxygen have been present since the earth’s formation more than 4.5 billion years ago, alexandrite was only discovered in 1831. The find occurred in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and...
Although its component elements of beryllium, aluminum, and oxygen have been present since the earth’s formation more than 4.5 billion years ago, alexandrite was only discovered in 1831. The find occurred in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and according to the widely circulated lore surrounding the gemstone’s discovery, the miners who returned to camp at the end one particular day were taken aback when the green stones they thought were emeralds turned muddy red by the light of their campfire.
It took until 1839 for the stones to be identified as something new. That’s also when the mineral, which is variety of chrysoberyl, was named after the country’s future Czar, Alexander II. For lovers of political history, Alexander II is probably best known as the guy who okayed the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, but to fans of fine jewelry, his name graces a gemstone that’s harder than topaz and changes color when exposed to natural versus artificial light.
That said, not all alexandrite is so capricious when it comes to revealing its true colors. While the alexandrite mined in the Urals behaves this way, the color change of stones from Sri Lanka is less dramatic. In addition, alexandrite taken from the gem gravels of Sri Lanka tend to be larger than those found in Russia, although sources give conflicting accounts on this point. What we do know for sure is that of the three examples of alexandrite shown in the Smithsonian’s online collection, the 65-plus-carat example is from Sri Lanka. In general, most alexandrite gemstones for rings, brooches, and necklaces tend to be much smaller than that, usually 2 carats or less, which is why larger stones should be tested to make sure they are not synthetic.
One of three birthstones for June (the other two are moonstones and pearls), alexandrite is thought to be a “teaching” stone, imbuing the wearer with increased levels of spirituality and awareness. Alexandrite is also said to be a good gem to wear during pregnancy, while the taking of an alexandrite elixir, which purportedly targets the “spleen chakra,” is believed to help “one attune to the energies of the earth.” In other cultures, though, the power of alexandrite’s chrysoberyl cousin, cat’s-eye, is thought to be purely defensive—it’s seen as a stone to wear in order to ward off the evil eye.
Continue readingAlthough its component elements of beryllium, aluminum, and oxygen have been present since the earth’s formation more than 4.5 billion years ago, alexandrite was only discovered in 1831. The find occurred in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and according to the widely circulated lore surrounding the gemstone’s discovery, the miners who returned to camp at the end one particular day were taken aback when the green stones they thought were emeralds turned muddy red by the light of their campfire.
It took until 1839 for the stones to be identified as something new. That’s also when the mineral, which is variety of chrysoberyl, was named after the country’s future Czar, Alexander II. For lovers of political history, Alexander II is probably best known as the guy who okayed the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, but to fans of fine jewelry, his name graces a gemstone that’s harder than topaz and changes color when exposed to natural versus artificial light.
That said, not all alexandrite is so capricious when it comes to revealing its true colors. While the alexandrite mined in the Urals behaves this way, the color change of stones from Sri Lanka is less dramatic. In addition, alexandrite taken from the gem gravels of Sri Lanka tend to be larger than those found in Russia, although sources give conflicting accounts on this point. What we do know for sure is that of the three examples of alexandrite shown in the Smithsonian’s online collection, the 65-plus-carat example is from Sri Lanka. In general, most alexandrite gemstones for rings, brooches, and necklaces tend to be much smaller than that, usually 2 carats or less, which is why larger stones should be tested to make sure they are not synthetic.
One of three birthstones for June (the other two are moonstones and pearls), alexandrite is thought to be a “teaching” stone, imbuing the wearer with increased levels of spirituality and awareness. Alexandrite is also said to be a good gem to wear during...
Although its component elements of beryllium, aluminum, and oxygen have been present since the earth’s formation more than 4.5 billion years ago, alexandrite was only discovered in 1831. The find occurred in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and according to the widely circulated lore surrounding the gemstone’s discovery, the miners who returned to camp at the end one particular day were taken aback when the green stones they thought were emeralds turned muddy red by the light of their campfire.
It took until 1839 for the stones to be identified as something new. That’s also when the mineral, which is variety of chrysoberyl, was named after the country’s future Czar, Alexander II. For lovers of political history, Alexander II is probably best known as the guy who okayed the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, but to fans of fine jewelry, his name graces a gemstone that’s harder than topaz and changes color when exposed to natural versus artificial light.
That said, not all alexandrite is so capricious when it comes to revealing its true colors. While the alexandrite mined in the Urals behaves this way, the color change of stones from Sri Lanka is less dramatic. In addition, alexandrite taken from the gem gravels of Sri Lanka tend to be larger than those found in Russia, although sources give conflicting accounts on this point. What we do know for sure is that of the three examples of alexandrite shown in the Smithsonian’s online collection, the 65-plus-carat example is from Sri Lanka. In general, most alexandrite gemstones for rings, brooches, and necklaces tend to be much smaller than that, usually 2 carats or less, which is why larger stones should be tested to make sure they are not synthetic.
One of three birthstones for June (the other two are moonstones and pearls), alexandrite is thought to be a “teaching” stone, imbuing the wearer with increased levels of spirituality and awareness. Alexandrite is also said to be a good gem to wear during pregnancy, while the taking of an alexandrite elixir, which purportedly targets the “spleen chakra,” is believed to help “one attune to the energies of the earth.” In other cultures, though, the power of alexandrite’s chrysoberyl cousin, cat’s-eye, is thought to be purely defensive—it’s seen as a stone to wear in order to ward off the evil eye.
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