Alexandrite Russia
US $9.99
Today, there is almost no production of Russian material and almost all of the original Russian stones are in museums or private collections. Even in Russia, most of the alexandrite sold today, are probably from other deposits outside of Russia. Occasionally a few low quality crystals or very small and included supposedly Russian stones do appear on the market but they are insignificant compared to the alexandrite production from other deposits. With so few Russian stones available anywhere, it is impossible to compare them with stones from newer discoveries. From a historical prospective, the Russian stones always attract the most interest and the highest prices but gemologically, it is unclear how the famous Ural mountain alexandrite compare with fine stones from Brazil, Africa, and India.
Fine alexandrites have also been discovered in Sri Lanka, Brazil, Myanmar, Tanzania, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, and India. Each of these deposits can and has produced exceptional stones but they are extremely rare. Alexandrite is that variety of chrysoberyl that can exhibit a color change due to the light source under which the stone is being observed. Chrysoberyl is already a rare gemstone found sparingly in a few localities around the world. When we consider that the percentage of chrysoberyl that actually shows a color change is always very small regardless of the deposit, we begin to realize just how small the chance of finding alexandrite is at all.
Top quality alexandrite is very rare indeed and uncommon in modern jewelry because it is hardly ever available and, because it is too expensive for the general public to buy. Even lower quality more included stones are expensive and very limited in supply. Alexandrite was used in antique Russian jewelry and smaller stones were also occasionally used in Victorian jewelry from England. The few stones that are produced today are usually snapped up by collectors or mounted in special settings by designers. Alexandrite can never be a mass-market item.
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Alexandrite: The Legend of a Siberian Stone "Alexandrite" is a precious stone found in the ural mountains in 1833 and named after czar alexander II who, at the time of the discovery, was heir apparent to the russian throne. "Alexandrite: The Legend of a Siberian Stone" is a translation from the original russian about the early history surrounding this unique gemstone.... |
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