First and foremost, we need to look at the quality and strength of the color change. A strong change where the colors are bright and attractive under any kind of light is most desirable. Many stones are either a beautiful green in daylight or a nice pinki
The most well known gemological laboratories are listed below and all of them are equipped to test alexandrite. Most gemological laboratories only identify gemstones, they do not appraise them.
Fine alexandrites or alexandrite jewelry can be purchased from jewelers specializing in colored gemstones, at trade shows, from TV sellers, at high end jewelry auctions, or online from websites specialized in alexandrite. You would be unlikely to find a h
With a hardness of 8.5, Alexandrite is a tough, hard, and durable gemstone that doesn't require any special attention. Still, even the hardest gemstones can shatter with a single well-placed blow so caution is always a good idea. Washing dishes with your
Although Russian alexandrites have the most historical value, fine stones are occasionally available from deposits in Brazil, India, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, there has been little production of alexandrites from any deposit in r
It is very unlikely that even an old alexandrite ring could contain a natural alexandrite. Natural alexandrites, especially large clean stones are extremely rare and almost never available at any price. Most old inherited alexandrite rings are actually sy
Alexandrite cannot be improved by any kind of thermal treatment. Although some have tried, heat treatment does not seem to affect alexandrite at all. Some lower quality cracked alexandrites are oiled to hide the cracks but beyond that, alexandrite is not
Natural alexandrite is not better than synthetic alexandrite but natural alexandrite is very rare and uncommon in modern jewelry because it is hardly ever available and because it is too expensive for the general public to buy. Even lower quality more inc