Mardon Jewelers at the Mission Inn

I-22928

We just acquired these beautiful natural Alexandrite jewels from ABC Gems, our supplier who specializes in fine natural Alexandrites. For starters, the delicate pendant above features a round Alexandrite of excellent color change and clarity set in 18K white gold accented with diamonds.

Alexandrite was originally discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia. A controversial story claims the gem was discovered on the 16th birthday of future Tsar Alexander II and so was named in his honor.  Like most myths, the grain of truth is that the stone was indeed named after Alexander, but it’s discovery was almost certainly earlier than the birthday.

Natural Alexandrite is one of the most rare of all the classic gems. A chrome bearing variety of the mineral chrysoberyl, Alexandrite has the unique property of true color change. In incandescent light, the original material from Russia appeared slightly purplish red, in daylight showing a soft grass green, so it was described as “ruby by night, emerald by day.” Today, the gem is primarily mined in Brazil, Sri Lanka, India, and Madagascar. The best stones usually come from Brazil, showing a strong color change from blue-green to reddish purple.

Alexandrites are graded first for the degree and quality of the color change, then for clarity and cut. Size is very significant in valuing this gem– stones over 1 carat are quite rare and can be very expensive in fine qualities.

Alexandrite is a very hard gem with a high refractive index, so it takes a fine polish and can be very sparkly. The hardness (8.5 on the Moh’s scale) means it is very durable and wearable, especially for rings like this stylish band.

I-22916

Alexandrite is the birthstone for those lucky to be born in June. This sweet suite of matching pieces with leaf motif is perfect for anyone seeking an unusual and beautiful gem that is sure to spark conversation. Now showing at Mardon- we’ll be open 7 days a week during the month of December, so be sure to stop by and be dazzled!

I-22925, I-22926, I-22927

Tags: 18K gold, Alexandrite, Brazil, India, Madagascar, natural alexandrite, Ural Mountains

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 16th, 2013 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Featured Post, Gemstones, Jewelry Facts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.