Malashevo, Ural Mountains, Russia
Named for Tsar Alexander II, this rare and beautiful gem is infrequently used in modern jewelry. In antique Russian jewelry it was seen more frequently, since Russian master jewelers loved this stone. Tiffany's master gemologist George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932) was also fascinated by alexandrite, and the jeweler's firm produced some beautiful rings and platinum ensembles at the turn of the last century. Smaller alexandrites were occasionally also used in Victorian jewelry from England. The present stone is from the classic locality of Russia and displays a large face up size. Alexandrite is very scarce variety of chrysoberyl differing in that it not only contains iron and titanium, but also chromium as a major impurity--and it is this very element which accounts for the spectacular color change. Green or bluish-green in daylight, alexandrite turns a soft shade of red, purplish-red in incandescent light.
Weighing approximately 4.22 carats and measuring 13.0 x 7.0 x 5.4mm