Alexandrite is still a very young gem, because it was found only in the nineteenth century.
Natural stone is a rare mineral and therefore is very much appreciated all over the world, which is expressed by its value of tens of thousands of dollars. A feature of this stone is its ability, depending on the lighting, to change its color - pleochroism - from emerald green to bright red. The cleaner the color produced, the more expensive alexandrite.
Ural stone is widely used in the manufacture of jewelry that amazes with its beauty and grace. It also finds application in science - quantum mechanics, medicine, cosmetology (synthetic analogues).
The history of the Ural gem
Alexandrite was discovered in the Urals in 1934 on the sixteenth birthday of Emperor Alexander II by the Finnish geologist N. Nordenshild. Since it was the king’s coming of age, the stone was named after him and presented to the birthday man of jewelry by master Perovsky.
But the first mention of the Peacock Eye nugget was found in an Indian treatise of four thousand years ago, the Mahabharata.
The mineral was especially popular among a noble society in the nineteenth century and was worth fabulous money.
Since 1980, Russia began to grow and create artificial synthetic minerals - fakes made of natural stone, the cost of which was several times cheaper.
Currently, the main production volume is accounted for by large deposits located in Brazil, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Africa and Russia (Malyshevskoye field). Ural alexandrites are the most valuable minerals, as they have a bright color and a contrasting transition from one to another.
Types of Alexandrite
In nature, you can find such types of this mineral:
- Tsimofan, in common people is called the cat's eye. They find it very rarely. The light effect of this variety is obtained due to the fact that a large number of small inclusions in the mineral are oriented in the same direction. Therefore, with a certain amount of illumination in the middle part of the stone, a bright strip appears, similar to the cat's eye.
- Ural Alexandrite is the most valuable stone, the color of which changes from green to red.
- In the deposits of India, a variety is produced that changes color from yellow to pink.
The chemical composition of the Ural gem
The mineral contains mainly chromium (giving green), titanium and iron (red elements). It is the properties of chromium ions and the crystal lattice that make the stone change color. Rarely, vanadium is also found among the inclusions, which is also able to influence the transformation of alexandrite.
Ural natural stone has the formula BeAI2O4, which is due to the chemical composition of the complex tetraoxide beryllium and aluminum, and is a type of the mineral chrysoberyl.
Another feature of this mineral is its hardness, which is higher than that of emerald. It is eight and a half units according to the Moss scale.
The density of alexandrite is determined by a fork of 3.5-3.8 g / cm 3 and light refraction is 1.74-1.76.
Healing properties
Traditional healers say that it is worth paying attention to the healing properties of alexandrite:
- stops bleeding;
- with it, they clean the blood;
- used in the treatment of blood vessels and heart;
- positively affects the functioning of the spleen and liver;
- helps with diseases of the pancreas;
- cures alcoholism;
- copes with neurological disorders.
Traditional medicine advises wearing jewelry made using this stone, for example, a ring with Ural alexandrite for healing.
Magic gives this mineral the ability to strengthen the qualities inherent in a particular person: the weak subjugates its power and can destroy, and the strong - supports and helps to overcome problems.
It is also believed that this gem has different properties depending on the time of day: in the evening it enhances feelings of jealousy and passion, in the afternoon - confidence and calmness.
And since the time of the assassination of the Russian emperor in Russia, the tradition of wearing this stone by widows appeared as evidence of the loss of a loved one.
In India, a nugget is considered a symbol of peace and is worn by priests.
Stone Care Rules
In order for a product from a precious mineral to last longer, it is necessary to comply with a number of rules:
- it is imperative to remove jewelry while cleaning the house;
- in order to clean the product, it is necessary to use simple soap and hot water - no chemicals;
- use soft, lint-free fabrics for polishing;
- When working in laboratories or in production, do not put products on your hands.
How to wear alexandrite: signs
The right combination of jewelry and clothing will perfectly complement the image. When wearing products from this mineral, you should listen to these tips:
- signs say that you should not wear a mineral as an independent jewelry (this can scare luck), for example, earrings with Ural alexandrite should be combined with rings into which other stones are inserted;
- items with this gem should be worn first, and removed last;
- You can wear alexandrite regardless of the time of day - it is always magnificent, but especially beautiful under artificial lighting, when it turns bright red;
- the best metal for creating a frame for a nugget is gold, which emphasizes its beauty and radiance;
- a masculine look and self-confidence will be given to the stronger sex by a male gold ring with Ural alexandrite in combination with an expensive brand watch.
Stone price
Natural gem has a very high cost, which depends on its color, jewelry processing, the presence of defects. In products, it is, as a rule, rarely used independently - its pearls, ruby, emerald and diamond complement it. Alexandrite is among the top five for the price along with such expensive minerals as sapphire, diamond, ruby and emerald.
The gem frame is most often made of gold, but silver is also used for these purposes.
Alexandrite can be purchased at a price of five hundred dollars (artificial), and natural Ural - from five thousand. The maximum cost is twenty thousand dollars per carat.
Factors that determine the price include the following:
- the saturation of the mineral with color, regardless of the time of day;
- presence of inclusions and turbidity.
Mid-level buyers can purchase synthetic stones, which outwardly do not differ completely from the original. In Russia, an analog of alexandrite is produced, which has a lilac color similar to amethyst.
How to recognize an analog
A distinctive feature of nuggets is a color change when changing illumination, which is caused by the presence of three optical axes in the nugget. Interestingly, under fluorescent lights such an effect is practically invisible.
The only mineral that looks like Ural alexandrite is green andalusite. But it is as rare as the original.
More often, as a substitute for gems, synthetically grown analogs are used - spinel and corundum, similar to the original in chemical composition. You can distinguish them by color - in contrast to the nugget, they shimmer from blue-gray to pink in color and are much more intense.
The main candidates for the replacement of alexandrite are artificial chrysoberyl, phenakite, cubic zirconia, inamori, pomegranate, andalusite, spinel. When buying jewelry, you need to check if there is an act of gemological examination.
Despite all the instructions, it is quite difficult, but rather impossible, for an ordinary person to distinguish the original from the analogue on its own. The best option would be to contact a specialist jeweler - using special instruments (spectroscope and refractometer), he will determine the origin of the mineral.