The phenomenal Stone of June, Alexandrite

Alexandrite might not be the only gemstone with the colour-change phenomena, but surely the most famous. Whether its popularity is due to its beauty, rareness, and elegance, Alexandrite is a wonderful option in your jewellery collection.

So, what is unique about Alexandrite?

As described by gemstone professionals, “Emerald by day, Ruby by night”, Alexandrite’s charms lie on this concept. While exposed to daylight, this unique stone will have a green hue, while in the warm light or nighttime, the same stone will have a more reddish hue.

Of course, the variations of colours depend on the finesse of Alexandrite stone. The finest types will produce the finest greenish or reddish colours, whereas the fewer finesse ones will have more olive-green or pinkish hues.

Like other stones, Alexandrite has many variations of hues, varies from rich green and red colours to light variations of both.

The best hues of rich green or red can be found in the top-quality Alexandrite, which is very rare. The low-quality Alexandrite will also produce interesting light green or orange hues, but not as fine as the top-quality Alexandrite. These low-quality Alexandrite are not as rare as the fine Alexandrite. Thus, there are less expensive.

However, it is important to mention here that low-quality Alexandrite is referred to as low compared to the top-quality Alexandrite, not due to their poor features. They are still unique & beautiful gemstone.

How does this colour change occur?

Before discussing why this unique stone changes its colour, let us dig in to know more about Alexandrite.

The first stone was found in the Ural Mountains in Russia during the 1830s. It became famous among the royals in Russia due to its brilliant beauty. It gained its name from Czar Alexander II. It is believed that the stone was discovered in Russia's emerald mines on the same day as Alexander's birthday.

It is one of the rarest stones, if not the one & only if we are talking about the finest Alexandrite stone. It was first discovered & mined in the Ural Mountains in Russia, but later on, it was mined in Sri Lanka, East Africa, and a large amount of Alexandrite was found in Brazil.

Unfortunately, right now, due to excessive mining, even these large amounts of Alexandrite have become rare.

Alexandrite is very expensive, almost as expensive as fine diamonds are, if not more sometimes. That is because of its rareness and colour-change phenomena. So, going back to this phenomenon, how does it happen and why?

Alexandrite is a rare variety of the chrysoberyl family and is a strongly pleochroic gemstone. Pleochroic means the ability to show different colours if looked at from different angles. However, what causes the colour change in Alexandrite is the unusual light-absorbed properties the stone holds.

The colours we see in all gemstones are due to the reaction of light in the stone's chemical. In the Alexandrite case, when the stone is exposed to light, Alexandrite atoms get excited and jump in their covalent bonds.

To put it in simpler words, the change of colours in Alexandrite is due to the reaction between atoms and light exposure and how stone absorbs light.

Alexandrite & Jewellery

The use of this rare & unique colour-changed stone in jewellery is remarkable. Due to its durability comes third after diamonds and emeralds in hardness as it is 8.5, making Alexandrite the perfect stone for rings. It is used in several types of rings such as cocktail, eternity, halo, wedding, engagement, etc., 

It is not used as diamonds are used, of course, but it is a good option for a chic and long-lasting engagement ring.

A lovely Alexandrite ring may work well as a gift for June-born ladies since it is the birthstone of June alongside the traditional birthstone, pearls.

Alexandrite is a unique, interesting and elegant stone to have as a pair of earrings or a pendant, but the only problem you may face is the price. Due to its rareness, the Alexandrite stone may cost a fortune. Its prices may reflect overhigh diamonds.

However, the lovely part here is that there are many synthetic Alexandrite stones, lab-created stones that mimic the natural stone and are available at better and more reasonable prices.

If you cannot afford to buy a gemstone set of Alexandrite, then the lab-created ones may be your sanctuary. You may dress up with an amazing Alexandrite ring and save a lot of money.