Lucky Alexandrite~Not So Lucky For The Tsars of Russia

Natural Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a stone that not a lot of people know about.  It is one of those stones that was discovered recently and by recently I mean around the late 19th century.  This stone definitely has an interesting story and is one of the prettiest gemstones I have ever seen.  My YiaYia loved Alexandrite and had a very pretty ring when I was growing up.  When she passed, I believe she gave it to my Nuna (Godmother in Greek). I am always on the look out for natural Alexandrite but even with new mines opening up, it is still a rare stone and extremely expensive.  It is also like Tanzanite where you don’t normally find large caches of rough stone to work from.  Many pieces you may find are often very small, at the very least, less than a half carat.

Alexandrite is unique because in natural sunlight, it appears green.  Now, in firelight or fluorescent light, the stone turns to a warm, red color.  Natural Alexandrite was originally discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia around 1830.  In fact, as legend has it, the stone was discovered on the 16th birthday of Tsar Alexander II.  This stone was named for him and since it had the imperial colors of red and green, it was only mined for royalty.  It was also considered the National Stone of Tsarist Russia.  All of Russia’s Alexandrite was mined out by the end of the 19th Century.  Russian Alexandrite is considered the best stone for color and quality, unfortunately it is very hard to find.  Normally, you will find it in old turn of the century pieces of jewelry, so antique hunting is where you will find most available Russian Alexandrite.

Alexandrite in Sunlight

American jewelry company, Tiffany’s had the largest cache of Russian Alexandrite in the early part of the 2oth Century.  Tiffany & Co. Master Gem Buyer, George Kunz, fell in love with this stone and travelled to Russia in order to purchase as much as he could find.  No one knows how much he found, but Tiffany & Co. eventually had reserves of Alexandrite so large that they cornered the market on it for decades.  They were known for their Alexandrite stones set in platinum settings. 

It soon became so rare that one carat stones were being sold for astronomical amounts.  In the early 1990′s, a new mine discovered Alexandrite in Brazil.  In 1993, another collection of Alexandrite was found in Tanzania.  Soon after the discovery of Alexandrite in these two countries, it was discovered in India, Ceylon, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe.  While none of these mines were the exact color or clarity of the Russian Alexandrite, they soon became known for their specialty colors.  For example, the stones in the Brazilian mine are Brown and Raspberry tones and the stones in Ceylon have grayish highlights.

Alexandrite Under Artificial Light

Alexandrite is a variety of Chrysoberyl and rates an 8.5 on the Moh’s scale for hardness.  Chrysoberyl is normally yellow in color because of the iron and titanium deposits in it.  Alexandrite is different due to the added mineral of Chromium and this is what accounts for its unique color.  The more distinctive the color, the more expensive Alexandrite is.  If you find a stone and it is too clear, inexpensive, or more than 2 carats, then it is more likely a lab created Alexandrite. 

The largest Alexandrite cluster was found in Russia in Izumrudnye Kopi and consists of 22 dark green crystals and weighed in at 28,620 carats.  It is known as the Kochubei’s Druse.  The largest uncut Alexandrite individual stone was found in Brazil and weighed 122,400 carats.  Another large Alexandrite was found and called the “Patriot” or the “Gorken of Russia”.  This Alexandrite weighed 2,500 carats.

Brazilian Alexandrite

French author and magician, Eliphas Levi connected the duality of this stone to the duality of human blood flow.  He felt the green and red echoed the colors of oxygenated and de-0ygenate blood that flows through our bodies.  It was supposed to clear and strengthen your blood vessels.  Russians consider it a stone of good omen and it is thought to bring good luck and fortune.  Alexandrite was believed to bring balance  between the physical manifest world and the spiritual or astral world.  The largest faceted Alexandrite can be found in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as part of their Gem Gallery exhibit.  It weighs 17.08 carats and was found in the Brazil mine.  The Smithsonian also houses another gem quality Alexandrite that is 66 carats and was found in Sri Lanka.

Now, for those of you waiting for the Greek reference in this post….I searched hard and long…thought for sure I wouldn’t be able to find one…but I did.   Since the stone was discovered in Russia during Romanov reign, Prince Michael of Greece is a Romanov descendant and he wrote a book on the Romanov Imperial jewelry.  I know, I know….I’m reaching but still it’s a connection.  Also, the word,  Tiara, is Greek for headdress.   Another interesting Greek fact is the word Chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek word Chyros meaning golden.  It is a symbol of royal power and can often be found in Victorian jewelry in England.  Alexandrite is also thought  to be a guardian stone, although it did not help the Romanovs survive the Russian Revolution.

Indian Alexandrite

 Alexandrite is associated with the element Air, the zodiac sign of Gemini, and the planets Mercury and Mars.  This dynamic stone is said to open from the heart to the crown chakra and is symbolized in Tarot by the Lover’s card.  Metaphysically, Alexandrite is supposed to strengthen intuition, creativity, and the imagination.  It encourages love and for those “Bah Humbugs” out there, it will allow joy to enter your lives.  Alexandrite also links the heart to the mind so that they are in balance with one another. 

Interestingly, this stone is supposed to attune your inner voice and impart grace and elegance to the person who wears it.   It is considered a regenerative stone that is a fantastic re-newer and purifier as well as situations involving re-birth, accessing past lives, and resolving past issues.

Largest Faceted Alexandrite~Smithsonian Musem

Alexandrite is used in love spells and when worn over the heart is said to bring luck in love.  If you have dreams of Alexandrite, this symbolizes struggle and progression.  It finds new ways to move forward in situations where logic will not give you the answer.

Mentally, the duality of this special chrysoberyl centers the self, fights low self esteem, brings mental balance, and provides strength to carry on.  Physically, it soothes inflammation, removes tension in the neck, keeps your testicles healthy, and promotes youthfulness.  It also helps with nerve damage, side effects of leukemia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and senile dementia. 

It is the “secondary” birthstone for June and is a 45th and 55th wedding anniversary present.  Alexandrite is a gorgeous stone with an interesting history and dynamic appeal to people.  It is not uncommon for people to pay for at auction over $10,00 dollars for a Russian Alexandrite.  Natural Alexandrite can start at $3000 per carat and for large cut Alexandrite with more than one carat can easily reach $25,000.  An 11.08 carat Brazilian Alexandrite was sold at auction with Christies of New York for $382,680.

So, if you want a stone that is unique and rare, Alexandrite is the stone for you. 

Well, until my next crystal post, stay centered, be calm, and enjoy life.  My next post will be about Opals and the supposed “curse” attached to them.