Alexandrite

This is an extremely rare gemstone which was discovered in1830, on the day of prince Alexander of Russia. The very rare and valuable alexandrite changes its color from green in daylight to red, mauve, or brown under incandescent light.

Hardness: -7.0

Appearance:
It can be almost green (emerald colored) but is more yellowish or brownish green. Its main ability is to change color if exposed to a light source. This unusual phenomenon is what distinguishes it from other green Chrysoberyl. This pronounced color change from green to red is highly priced. The ideal color change is brilliant green when exposed to light changes to fiery red. Even stones with inclusions are also cut. The stone is so rare that some people have not even seen it.

Occurrence:
It is found in very small quantity in Soviet Union, Brazil, Sri Lanka and some east African countries.

Value:
Good quality stones are highly valuable. When the color is dullish the value falls appreciably, but because of its rarity the value of alexandrite is expensive. Stones weighing more than 1 carat are quite expensive.