Alexandrite in the jewelry world is known as one of the most amazing and exotic minerals. This stone is also called royal, a gem of elite and luxury. The main feature that natural alexandrite possesses is its ability to surprisingly change color depending on the degree and nature of the light. A similar phenomenon becomes possible due to the special structure of the mineral, as well as the impurity of chromium, which is part of it.
For its unique physical properties, the gem was included in the list of the most expensive stones - precious. Not surprisingly, the price of alexandrite is at the level of ruby and diamond.
Discovery story
People learned about alexandrite relatively recently. This happened in 1833, when geologists discovered a mysterious stone in the Ural Mountains. At first they mistook him for an emerald. But later, when the mineral was considered under artificial lighting and it changed its color from green to red, they realized that it was a gem that had not yet been studied.
It so happened that the stone was found on the day when the Russian emperor - Tsar Alexander II - celebrated his birthday. The amazing mineral has become perhaps the most unusual gift received by a sixteen-year-old boy. The young emperor liked the changing colors so much that he practically did not part with the stone, which later was called alexandrite. It is not surprising that very often an unusual mineral was called nothing more than “royal”.
Corresponding to this was the price of alexandrite. The stone once and for all received the title of the elite. Not everyone could afford this mineral. After all, its value was on a par with the most expensive diamonds, pearls and emeralds. Often, all these stones were combined in one magnificent jewelry.
After the death of Alexander II, the mineral became a symbol of sadness and at the same time the memory of the emperor. And after the First World War broke out, and many of the noble ladies who had jewelry with alexandrite lost their husbands because of it, the gem was also called the "widow's stone."
Two-tone mineral was popular not only in Russia. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The famous Tiffany jewelry house presented several jewelry collections that included alexandrite. Preferred to have a gem and the English elite. Alexandrite was especially popular in the country of Misty Albion during the Victorian era.
Place of Birth
For a long time, it was believed that alexandrite is a representative of the Ural gems and a true Russian treasure. However, today its deposits in our country are almost depleted. But it is gratifying that the sources of extraction of this stone were also found in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Zimbabwe, the United States and Kenya. And on the island of Ceylon in Madagascar, they found a two-color mineral in 1876 carats.
Due to the fact that natural alexandrite is a very rare breed, and besides having some cutting features, synthetic (artificial) analogs of stone are often used in jewelry.
Description
Natural alexandrite is a very beautiful jewelry stone. It is transparent and has a very pronounced glass luster. The main distinguishing feature of the stone, a long time included in the list of Ural gems, is the ability to change its shade depending on the degree of illumination. For example, during the day, under the rays of the sun, he appears in rich green tones. The color of natural alexandrite under artificial lighting instantly changes to red-violet. That is why when in 1904 the gemologist Max Bauer gave a description of the mineral, he emphasized that during the day this stone looks like an emerald, and at night it looks like an amethyst.
Chemical composition
Natural alexandrite is referred to as chrysoberyls, since it is one of the varieties of this mineral. Its chemical composition indicates that the stone is a complex of aluminum tetraoxide and beryllium. The mineral contains impurities not only of chromium, giving it a green color, but also of iron, as well as titanium, providing reddish tones.
Knowing the chemical composition of the stone can help explain why alexandrite is such a rare mineral. The fact is that during its formation, the presence of silicon is impossible. And this element is very common on earth, taking on this basis the second place after oxygen.
Physical properties
Alexandrite is a stone with a high degree of hardness, which in its values exceeds those that an emerald has. Another distinctive physical property of the two-color mineral is the reverse effect. It is also called the "alexandrite effect." This property lies in the ability to change hue in different lighting conditions. Experts explain such an unusual effect by the ability of a gem to absorb a certain spectrum of colors, which is associated with unique structural features of the mineral crystal lattice.
Jewelers know that on the Mohs scale, the hardness of natural alexandrite reaches 8.5 units. At the same time, its density is in the range from 3.5 to 3.84 grams per cubic centimeter.
Cost
As a rule, people simply do not imagine how expensive an amazing two-tone mineral can cost. As already mentioned above, such a stone is very rarely found in nature. Even less common are gems weighing more than three carats. But large and at the same time transparent and pleasing to the eye saturated colors in any lighting options are considered simply unique, because of which they are entered in special catalogs.
That is why any jewelry with natural alexandrite - a ring, earrings, bracelet or pendant - is an exclusive product and at its price affordable only to very rich people. They are made to order, and then placed in private collections. Their owners keep as their treasures.
Anyone who wishes to buy, for example, a ring with natural alexandrite, must visit the auction. It is here that the final price of the product will be formed. It is worth noting that sometimes at the auction complex jewelry can be sold for 1 million US dollars.
The cost of the gem depends on the following:
- weight;
- depth of the reverse of flowers;
- purity of the mineral.
Many gemstones are priced based on their color. But such a criterion does not apply to alexandrite at all. Its color is not tied to price. Jewelers do not have a single opinion on this characteristic. So, some experts believe that the most expensive should be stones that have a rich evening red tone. Others believe that attention should be paid to the depth of the daily green shade.
Varieties
Depending on the deposit, alexandrite can be:
- Indian. This gem is famous for its magnificent bluish-green tone, which can be seen in daylight.
- Ural. These minerals are considered the brightest, purest and most beautiful. In daylight, they become emerald green, and under artificial lighting turn into red-violet.
- Brazilian In contrast to the transition, they significantly lose the Ural. Lit by the rays of the sun, they look olive green.
- Mineral of Sri Lanka. This alexandrite, on the contrary, loses under artificial lighting, acquiring a brown tint.
Healing properties
In alternative medicine, there is a separate direction - lithotherapy. She is studying the effect of natural stones on the human body.
Lithotherapists consider alexandrite curative. They attribute this property to the duality of the color of the mineral, which symbolizes venous and arterial blood. That is why the stone is recommended to be used for:
- treatment of pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
- Improving the process of blood circulation;
- strengthening and purification of blood vessels;
- stop bleeding.
Alternative medicine also considers alexandrite a stone that positively affects the work of the spleen, pancreas and liver.
Magical properties
Mystics of the 19th century believed that alexandrite is able to restore harmony between the mental and physical body of a person. They believed that the mineral could give its owner balance, calmness and prudence, as well as make it more sociable.
Who needs alexandrite? He is considered a stone of people who are strong in spirit, as well as confident in their actions. The gem will surely bring them happiness, success and glory.
Belonging to the zodiac signs
According to astrologers, alexandrite is most suitable for those who were born under the constellations Gemini, Taurus, Aries and Scorpio. The stone will make these people more balanced and calm, translating their energy into the right direction.
Virgin, Cancer, and Pisces jewelry with natural alexandrite is not recommended. The mineral is able to suppress these very susceptible and emotional people.
Jewelry Application
Where is alexandrite used? The jewelry business is its only area of application. As a rule, the mineral is used to make inserts in pendants, necklaces, rings and earrings. Specialists subject it to diamond (usually drop-like) or step cut. This gem is especially beautiful in combination with rubies, emerald and pearls.
Alexandrite is usually found in gold or platinum. It is with these precious metals that the stone blends best.
Production of analogues
Alexandrite, being a stone of fantastic beauty, is a welcome guest with millions of women. But only a few can buy jewelry with it. And this is just the case when jewelers have the prospect of making good money on making fakes. And it is worth noting that specialists have succeeded in this matter. To date, millions of jewelry have already been sold, in which a fake crystal is inserted. However, buyers were satisfied. After all, an analogue of a mineral is difficult to distinguish from a natural sample.
Fakes are made in several ways today:
- With artificial crystal growing.
- Using glass.
- In the manufacture of imitations based on natural stones.
Definition of fakes
Natural alexandrite is a rarity in the jewelry world. That is why when buying it, in order not to pay impressive amounts for an analogue, you need to make sure the natural origin of the mineral.
How to distinguish natural alexandrite from crafts? The first step along this path is to view the relevant certificates that you need to ask the seller. These documents will be able to confirm the natural origin of the gem. But this will not be enough. Certificates must be checked for authenticity by making a call to the inspection or to the laboratory that issued them to the seller. When confirming documents, you can be sure that the stone is natural.
And what if there are no certificates? You can distinguish a natural mineral from an analog by applying the necessary method, which is selected depending on the method of manufacturing the simulation.
If a synthetic stone is inserted into the jewelry , then it is impossible to distinguish it from the natural one by eye. According to gemologists and jewelers, fakes may look better than natural crystals. In this case, only an expert can give an accurate conclusion. The buyer, first of all, needs to pay attention to the following:
- To the size of the stone. In nature, it is found only up to 3 carats. With a larger size, you can claim a fake.
- On the shade. In artificial alexandrite, it is clean.
- The shape of small air bubbles in a stone. In an artificial analogue they are represented by spheres, and in a natural mineral - by drops.
- On the colors. In an artificial gem there are never yellow tones, and in the sun it turns purple.
The definition of a fake, in the manufacture of which natural stones were used, must be entrusted to a specialist. But artificial alexandrite, made of glass, is the easiest to determine. Such minerals have two drawbacks:
- Their hardness is quite low and ranges from only 5.5 to 6 units. This allows you to leave a mark on the artificial crystal with a needle or pin.
- Refraction of light. If you place the fake under the sun, then on the edges of the stone you can see all the colors of the rainbow.