The Discovery of Alexandrite and Its Value as a Variety of Beryl

Alexandrite is a gem of the mineral chrysoberyl, first discovered and mined in Russia, and appears to change from red to green, related to the gem Cat's Eye

Discovery

This gem was first found in Takovaya, in the Ural Mountains of Siberia, in 1830, on the anniversary of the birth of Alexander II, Czar of Russia, and because of that circumstance and since green and red--the colors of the gem--are also Russia's national colors, it was named, in honor of the Czar, Alexandrite.

Hardness and Color

The mineral composing the gem is Chrysoberyl, which resembles beryl in composition but is remarkable for its hardness, being graded 8.5. The alexandrite shows ordinarily an emerald-green color, but changes by artificial light to a beautiful red, and has, therefore, the unique property of resembling somewhat "an emerald by day and a ruby by night." Much of the mineral is found, but transparent pieces which can be used as gems are of very rare occurrence, and Alexandrites are therefore very valuable, besides being unique in the beauty of their double colors.

Cat's-eye

A more common variety of chrysoberyl is the gem known as Cat's-eye, which always shows the familiar band of color in the center. Most of the stones are cut cabochon, in order to best display this property. Most of the cat's-eyes now come from Brazil and Ceylon.


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