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What Is Alexandrite Quartz?

Named after the Russian czar Alexander II, alexandrite is an extremely rare type of quartz. The stone is a member of the chrysoberyl family and is considered a phenomena gemstone due to its capacity to change color.
  1. History

    • Alexandrite was discovered in 1834 on Czar Alexander's birthday at an emerald mine near the Tokovaya River in Russia's Ural Mountains. This original deposit is now exhausted.

    Physical Properties

    • Alexandrite is one of the world's hardest minerals; only diamonds and corundum are harder. It also absorbs certain colors, which, in turn, makes it change colors. The stone appears green or bluish-green in natural light and turns red or purple-red in incandescent light. Traditionally, the truer the minerals colors are to red and green the more valuable the mineral.

    The Largest Score

    • In 1987 Brazil's Lavra de Hematita mine in Minas Gerias produced the world's largest find of gem-quality alexandrite. Gems weighing in at nearly 30 carats were produced at the mine in under three months.

    Mining Alexandrite Today

    • Gravel deposits in Sri Lanka still produce a fair quantity of alexandrite. However, the country's last major find was in 1993, and production has since declined. India is the world's latest producer of clean alexandrite stones.

    Fun Fact

    • Because red and green are the colors of the Russian Imperial Guard, alexandrite was named the official gemstone of Tsarist Imperial Russia.


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