Alexandrite: what does it look like, what properties does it have and for whom is it suitable?

Alexandrite is a unique natural mineral that can change its color depending on the brightness of the light. Many mysterious legends have always circulated around this mystical stone, and even the history of its discovery has different versions. According to one of them, the precious mineral was discovered by the Finnish scientist Nordensköld in the Urals in 1834. It was assumed that the green stone was nothing more than an emerald, but the scientist decided to examine it in detail in the evening in a calm and comfortable atmosphere. However, by the light of candles, Nordensjöld saw before him a crystal not of green, but of bright red. Subsequently, the stone was given a name in honor of the future emperor of the Russian Empire, Alexander II, who in 1834 celebrated his 16th birthday.

Another version of the discovery of alexandrite tells that a precious gem was found at an emerald mining site located near Yekaterinburg, and this happened in 1833. To study the mineral was sent to St. Petersburg, where L. A. Perovsky concluded that the discovered stone is not an emerald at all, since it has a slightly higher hardness and differs from the emerald in its composition. The described events took place on the eve of the 16th birthday of the future emperor of Russia, Alexander II, and wishing to make a pleasant gift to the royal family, the scientist called the found mineral alexandrite.

Alexander II really liked the unusual mineral that can change color, and he always considered it his talisman, and after him the aristocrats appeared a fashion for jewelry with this precious stone. Even the second name was fixed to the gem - the “imperial stone”.

Alexandrite is a real natural mineral consisting of chrysoberyl with an admixture of chromium. The stone is referred to as anisotropic crystals, capable of changing their color in the rays of the light flux passing through it relative to the optical axes. Daylight, passing through chromium ions, colors the crystal in green shades, and in the evening artificial light the mineral looks purple-cherry, lilac or saturated raspberry. There are alexandrites that have opalescence or, as they call this phenomenon, the effect of a cat's eye. Specialists call such gems stones-cymofans.

Raw alexandrite is opaque, but after jewelry grinding it can be transparent or translucent with a pronounced glass luster.

Alexandrite is mined in mica schists, pegmatite deposits or granite - this is where inclusions of these minerals are found among the main rock. In the voids of rocks, alexandrite is found in the form of so-called drusen. Druze are multiple crystals that are placed together on one common base. The extraction of gemstone in Russia was carried out mainly in the Urals, and until 1995 it was carried out mainly in the territory of the Malyshevsky deposit, which was considered the largest not only in Russia but also in Europe. However, during a long, almost 100-year use, the field was fully developed and closed.

Today, precious alexandrites enter the world market from the USA, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Africa, Madagascar, India. Stones from around the world have their own coloring characteristics. For example, African minerals have a low contrast of color changes, Brazilian gems are translucent, and Indian stones gravitate to blue and turquoise shades. However, the Ural gems are still considered the standard of quality alexandrite to this day.

The color of precious alexandrites directly depends on their deposit and the structure of the structure of chromium, which is part of the mineral. Assessment of the cost of a stone is determined by professional jewelers precisely in the color scheme of the gem. Color overflows of natural alexandrite, as a rule, range from blue-green in daylight to dark crimson under artificial lighting. There is no consensus on which shade of chrysotile beryl is most valuable in jewelry. Each professional is guided by his preferences and experience - someone likes deep purple shades, and someone believes that the most valuable copy has a rich green color.

Ural alexandrites among jewelers around the world are considered the most valuable because of the depth of color ranges and the brightness of color tones. In daylight, minerals of Ural origin show violet, pink, blue, and classic green hues. African and Brazilian stones in sunlight shimmer with pure blues with a green tint, while if you transfer the minerals to a source of artificial light, the color of the stones will change sharply to bright purple.

Alexandrites are mined not only in various shades, but also in different sizes. Basically, the size of the gems mined does not exceed the weight of 1 carat. But there are surprising exceptions - the largest precious mineral, consisting of 22 crystals, was discovered in the Urals in the Emerald Mines, its weight was 5.38 kilograms.

Becoming the owner of this alexandrite at all times was quite difficult. Previously, during the existence of the USSR, it was impossible to buy products with imperial stone in free sale, with all desire. All available stones in the country, together with their owners, were strictly registered with the competent authorities. Quite often, under a precious alexandrite, a similar semiprecious stone, corundum or another natural mineral, which contained chrome and vanadium, was given out. But even such gems were rare in the jewelry market. Nowadays, you can buy real natural alexandrite only from collectors of rare jewelry and this is considered an incredible success.

Scientists believe that in order for chrysoberyl to form in the rock, called alexandrite, chromium and beryllium must interact, which is a rather rare case in itself. In addition to these conditions, silicon should not be present in the crystal, since with its presence the mineral turns into emerald. Given these difficult circumstances, chrysotyl beryl minerals are very rarely formed in nature. However, alexandrites are found not only with emeralds, but also with sapphires - such are the whims of nature.

Alexandrite is a stone that can hardly be called particularly strong, although its hardness on the Mohs scale is 8.5 units, and its density ranges from 3.5 to 3.8 grams per cubic centimeter. When a mineral breaks, an uneven conchoid surface of the edge forms. The crystal lattice of this natural nugget has a rhombic structure - this means that each crystal has 3 axes that intersect at equal angles.

Given the fragility of the imperial stone, cutting and fixing stones in the frame is a rather risky process, since the stone can crack during processing, and it becomes especially fragile when squeezed. Years of experience show that the greatest risk of cracking is in stones weighing more than 1 carat. Knowledgeable and responsible jewelers are unlikely to undertake the repair of a product with alexandrite, given these features.

In Russia, the imperial stone, due to a combination of circumstances - the death of Emperor Alexander II and the aftermath of the First World War, gained bad fame, meaning grief, loss of a loved one and loneliness.

Alexander II was very fond of the gem presented to him and wore a ring with this stone, never parting with it. However, on March 1, 1881, the tsar, for some reason, did not put on the ring with alexandrite and was killed that day. This set of events looks somewhat strange, if you also know the fact that March 1 in magic circles is considered one of the most difficult and unlucky days of the year - according to legend, Judas strangled himself on this day.

However, in other parts of the world, chrysotile beryl is more loyal and see only good in it. Due to its unique ability to change color, alexandrite is credited with various magical properties - this is understandable, because everything that can not be explained, ordinary inhabitants are accustomed to classify as miracles.

In Russia, it is believed that alexandrite is able to enhance the gift of intuition and prophecy, therefore mediums use a stone to make various talismans and amulets that help not only predict future events, but also protect their owner from evil eye and damage. In addition, it was believed that a chameleon stone could cure alcohol dependence. For this, alexandrite had to be left in a container of water for the whole night, and waking up in the morning, before breakfast, to drink this water.

In India, the wonder stone is considered a symbol of health, longevity and financial prosperity. The first mention of it contains an ancient treatise called "Mahabharata", where alexandrite is compared with a peacock feather and called it "peacock eye." Not every person can afford an amulet with such a rare stone, but the owner of such an amazing treasure was considered successful in all endeavors and vital matters.

In Europe, alexandrite is considered a stone that attracts good luck and helps establish new relationships, not only romantic, but also business in nature.

The value of alexandrite for a person, according to astrologers, is largely determined by the zodiac constellation under which he was born, so not all zodiac signs can wear alexandrite. Natural stone is very strong and only people born under the signs of Aquarius, Gemini, Leo and Scorpio can control its energy.

Alexandrite affects each of these signs in its own way.

• Aquarius. The gem enhances the already high intuition of these people, and in addition, allows them to more easily establish interpersonal relationships with almost any person. Aquarians are known to the world as natural peacekeepers and alexandrite strengthens their innate ability in them, helping to achieve their goals in many endeavors related to human relationships.

• Twins. Alexandrite gives this sign peace and discretion. It will be easier for the stone owner to avoid the empty fuss and vain anxiety inherent in this sign, and in addition, he will have the opportunity to use balanced and thoughtful decisions in all important areas of life.

• a lion. The imperial stone strengthens the power of people born under this zodiac sign, directing their energy into a creative channel. Alexandrite enhances the feelings of justice, ambition and personal charisma of its owner. With this mineral, Lions can conquer many peaks and achieve absolutely any goals.

• Scorpio. Alexandrite strengthens the moral strength and mind of this sign several times. Thanks to the talisman from this gem, Scorpios will be able to defeat all their enemies and circumvent any life obstacles. In addition, these people will have a real opportunity to grow spiritually and discover new horizons in the areas of life that interest them.

Despite the fact that the imperial stone is intended for strong-minded people, astrologers do not recommend it to be used by Taurus and Aries. The fact is that both of these signs are prone to uncontrolled outbreaks of aggression and alexandrite will only intensify this undesirable manifestation of their character.

Virgo and Cancer can’t energetically cope with alexandrite - a stone will strengthen their emotionality, as well as shatter their already mobile energy, which will lead to numerous troubles in life.

It is believed that in order to more fully reveal the potential of precious alexandrite, it must be worn in a frame of pure gold. It is best if the jewelry is made in the form of a massive male ring or female ring. The imperial stone is well combined with diamonds, amethysts, sapphires, garnets and topazes.

During the time of tsarist Russia, when alexandrite became a favorite jewelry in aristocratic society, women wore this precious gem in combination with two diamonds, which were a symbol of autocracy. Knowledgeable people believed that if you wear alexandrite in combination with jewelry made of other stones, then you should have worn a gem last, after all other jewelry, but you could have removed it only last - now it might seem naive, but in those days the customs were just that.

Since the demand for chrysotile beryl mineral has always been high, and natural stones are clearly not enough to meet this demand, alexandrites have learned to grow artificially. For the first time in our country, this event took place in 1973. A synthetic stone analogue, laboratory-grown in a hydrothermal way, is not cheap, while the gems obtained in this way have the properties of a play of color, but not to the extent that is inherent in a real natural mineral. A similar gem can be grown on the basis of corundum.

Acquiring even a synthetic analogue of alexandrite is considered a great success, since their number is still small due to the high cost of synthesis in laboratory conditions.

To distinguish fake from real natural alexandrites, experts recommend paying attention to the following points.

• Poor quality fakes are too soft and can be easily scratched with a sharp object if desired.

• Fake stones cannot give the game of the color scheme that is inherent in natural minerals - this is especially clearly seen in their spectral analysis.

• Fake gems are arbitrarily large at a surprisingly low price, while natural minerals are rarely more than 1 or a maximum of 2 carats and are very expensive. The price in the jewelry market of natural chrysotile beryl ranges from 5 to 37 thousand dollars per carat.

• The fake "alexandrite" gives a violet spectrum of shades and this spectrum is predominant, while in natural chrysotile beryl the main color gamut is green and purple, and violet shades smoothly turn into yellow and orange reflections, which can be seen during spectral analysis.

• A real natural mineral always has in its composition some other inclusions of the rock or areas of turbidity, while its fake will always be of perfect purity and transparency.

Often, any other stones that contain chrome can give out for precious alexandrites. Most often, corundums consisting of aluminum and vanadium oxides give out as a miracle gem. Only a professional can determine the authenticity of natural chrysotile beryl by examining the mineral with a spectroscope - at home and "by eye" this is unrealistic.

Currently, jewelry using precious imperial stone is made only on order and for a lot of money. It is very difficult to find and purchase pre-revolutionary products in Russia, since most of them were exported by emigrants to European countries during the revolution. The bulk of such jewelry is now irretrievably lost - gold and silver have undergone a melting, and the stones are stored as a separate jewel in private collections.

Modern professionals in the field of jewelry are well aware that literally 99% of all stones that you see in jewelry are synthetic analogs of natural alexandrite. The only question is what quality are these analogues. To grow alexandrite artificially is a long and costly financial procedure.

It was not without reason that Alexandrite was called the imperial stone, because wearing it means subjecting one's fate to changes and numerous trials. Not every person is capable of this, but only one who has the power of will and spirit. If you became the happy owner of this unique stone, it may happen that alexandrite is energetically difficult for you, and the trials of fate will be beyond your strength. According to long-term observations, it was found that to level the influence of powerful alexandrite it should be worn next to other gems with softer energy. In the old days, it often happened that a person simply refused to use jewelry with this difficult stone, concluding that alexandrite was not suitable for him.

Jewelers advise wearing alexandrites in sets and there are two reasons for this: in a set, jewelry always looks more dignified and attractive, and in addition, it is believed that only in this way can loneliness and widowhood be removed from oneself. It is difficult to judge how fair this opinion is, and if you want to be convinced of this, you can try to experience the effect of alexandrite on yourself.

So, for example, alexandrites in combination with diamonds belong to evening types of jewelry, and if you wear a royal stone in the form of a single talisman or ring, then if you wish, you can not remove this jewelry around the clock.

It is believed that chrysotile beryl looks especially beautiful if its owner has brown, black or green eyes. Experienced people said that alexandrite is more suitable for a man than a woman. By acquiring this precious gem, a woman can doom herself to loneliness, while a man gains strength and self-confidence with this stone. As a talisman, alexandrite most of all shows its properties in men, since male energy is more in tune with this stone than female.

Knowledgeable jewelers know that when processing natural alexandrites, extreme caution is required - one incorrect or excessive pressure, and a beautiful stone can become covered with a network of cracks. Synthetic analogues of this gem are much more durable - they are resistant to processing and heating.

Given these features, products with alexandrite must be protected from shock and, of course, do not expose them to chemical components.

So that a unique gem does not lose its luster, it is unacceptable in jewelry to engage in work that can lead to deformation or contamination of the jewelry. Cleaning jewelry with a precious imperial stone is allowed only with a warm soapy solution of a weak concentration, in which a few drops of ammonia can be added. Such a composition not only helps to clean the stone, but also returns the brilliance to its frame. After processing, the jewelry is rinsed with clean water and gently wiped with a soft, lint-free cloth. The imperial stone requires a respectful attitude - you need to store such jewelry in a special jewelry box with soft walls and it is best if this box is placed in a dark and cool place.

If a product with real alexandrite needs repair, try to contact a competent and trusted jeweler. Often in the process of fixing the stone in the frame or with the improper use of acids and the action of high temperatures, the natural mineral can lose its lively shine or become covered with a network of cracks, which will be very difficult and sometimes impossible to eliminate. Sometimes, for treating a network of small cracks, the method of impregnating the gem with natural oils is used, for example, using high density cedar oil.

You can learn more about alexandrite from the video below.