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Top Gem Quality Alexandrite GemstonesHOMEPAGE | OUR TERMS | VIEW OUR ALEXANDRITE GEMSTONES | COMPANY | REFERENCES
Alexandrite is a color change gemstone changing from green in daylight to red in incandescent light. The first time you see it, it is hard to believe your eyes! Genuine Alexandrite is one of the world's rarest and most coveted Gemstones, it's so rare that most people have never even seen one. Alexandrite is in the Chrysoberyl mineral family and is one of the most fascinating gemstones throughout history. A distinct color change from green to red is the primary qualification for a Chrysoberyl to be considered Alexandrite. Although alexandrite is strongly trichroic, its color change has nothing to do with pleochroism. Instead, like all other color change gemstones, it results in a near-equal transmission of the blue-green and red portions of the spectrum, coupled with strong absorption in the yellow. Thus its color is dependant on the spectral strength of the light source. Incandescent light is strongly tilted to the red end, thus causing alexandrite to appear reddish. Daylight, is more equally balanced. Since our eyes are most sensitive to green light, the balance is tipped to the green side. The strength of the color change is related to the difference in the areas of transmission, relative to the absorption in the yellow. The greater the difference, the stronger the color change. A color change occurs in very few gemstones. For Alexandrite, the quality of the color change is paramount. While the holy grail is a gem whose color changes like a traffic light from green to red, such a stone has yet to be found. In fine examples, the change is typically one from a slightly bluish-Green to more of a purplish-Red. When the color change from fluorescent light to tungsten light is not an obvious color change from one of the various shades of green to one of the shades of red, the gem is usually called "alexandrite like" or a "color change Chrysoberyl" since it does not quite have the distinct greenish to reddish color change enabling it to be called "Alexandrite". We secure rare Russian gems from the Ekaterinburg area of the Ural mountains as soon as they are found and made available to us. Some are small stones, less than a carat, but they all have a dramatic color change. Color change gemstones of Russian origin like this is particularly rare and highly valued by collectors. In 1987, an important new deposit was discovered at Hematita, Brazil. This mine produced for just a brief period, but a number of fine stones were found. We gained access to the finest Alexandrite from these mines. This Brazilian Alexandrite shows a striking similarity to the fine Russian gems, having an attractive color change from bluish-green to raspberry like purplish-red. These Brazilian gems are also in very limited quantities, so they remain extremely rare and expensive, but we are able to get them in larger stones over a carat and make them available to you. We have also secured some of the finest Alexandrite from Sri Lanka. We were able to secure some fine gems from the Rakwana area, and these are absolutely stunning, changing from a vibrant bluish-green to a very nice reddish-Purple. We also have a few fine specimens from the Ratnapura region. These fine gems have a very good color change also, but it's usually a little more of an olive green changing to a purple stone. It is not quite as dramatic as the Russian, Brazilian, and Rakwana material, but very nice indeed. The price per carat is a little more obtainable. The availability this fine material on our website means a new generation has the opportunity to own this beautiful and rare gemstone. Alexandrite is an excellent investment stone since it is a "Very Rare" gem.
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