Facts about Alexandrite

Alexandrite

Although crystals of Chrysoberyl are not uncommon, the gemstone variety, Alexandrite, is one of the rarest and most expensive gemstones you can find. Chrysoberyl Cat's-eye is believed to have mystical properties and Hindus once believed that a cat's eye guarded its owner's health and provided assurance against poverty. The last of the three, Chrysoberyl is not well known, but is quite durable and free from inclusions, and comes in a wide variety of colors, from green, greenish-yellow, and yellow, to brown at fraction of the price of its two cousins Cat's-eye and Alexandrite. Pale yellow Brazilian stones were use by the Portuguese and Spanish in the 17th and 18th centuries to make superb jewelry. The name Chrysoberyl is from the Greek chrysos, meaning golden, and beryllos, which refers to the beryllium content.

Chrysoberyl is commonly found in Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Tanzania, and in Connecticut and Colorado. Original deposits of Alexandrite have been mainly worked out, but some is still mined in Brazil and Sri Lanka. Synthetic chrysoberyl, synthetic corundum, and synthetic spinel have all been produced to imitate Alexandrite's color.