Two Antique Genuine Natural Russian Color Change Alexandrite Round Precious Gemstones.

CLASSIFICATION: Faceted Alexandrite Rounds.

ORIGIN: Siberia, Russia, 19th Century.

SIZE: Diameter: 2mm. Thickness (Depth): 1 1/2mm. All measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: Approximately 0.05 carats (the pair).

NOTES: Upon request we can set your gemstones as a ring, pendant, or earrings (click here for more information).

DETAIL: These are two stunning, brilliant, gorgeous, rare, natural green alexandrite gemstones from the Ural Mountains of Russia; and yes, they are green; when they are so inclined, at least. The color under most lighting conditions is the classic alexandrite green, reminiscent of both peridot and emerald. However under strong white light, the stones magically transforms themselves to a rose color with peach undertones. No matter what light source we used to image these gemstones, whether scanner or camera, they turned color. In hand, under most lighting conditions, they are most assuredly green. But the charm of these remarkable gemstones, at least in the higher qualities, is the dramatic color change they are capable of. And true to its reputation, the light of the scanner turned these two gemstones a bright rose-peach. And a decent digital camera shows them as blue-violet. The stones are capable of all of those colors, true chameleons, quite extraordinary precious gemstones.

The green images shown here were produced using a filter so as to suppress the color changing characteristics of the gemstones and produce an image of matching color (to show you the normal color of the gemstones). But the remaining rose-peach and blue-violet images give more detail and show you what they look like "fully illuminated". The gemstones were hand crafted and faceted by a 19th century Russian artisan, part of an heritage renown for the production of the elaborate gemstones and jewelry of the Czars of Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Russia. We matched them as best one can with a pair of antique gemstones. In these 500% images they might not appear perfectly matched, antique gemstones are in a sense like snowflakes, no two are exactly identical, at least under magnification. But as is the case with snowflakes, in hand, to the unaided eye, these gemstones are very well matched, almost indistinguishable from one another. They are small gemstones, the typical size used for accent ear studs. But they can also be used as accent stones for a larger gemstone in a ring or pendant setting.

They are gorgeous gemstones, full of fire and sparkle, gorgeous, vibrant, possessing exceptional clarity and color. They are truly special little gemstones, quite rare. The trained eye will easily discern from the photo that the gemstones have been hand-faceted. The faceted cut is a coarse precursor to what eventually became known in the industry as a "brilliant cut" round, the contemporary finish generally given to round diamonds. The coarseness of the 19th century faceting is considered appealing to most gemstone collectors, and is not considered a detriment. Unlike today's computer controlled machine processes, the cut and finish of gemstones such as these is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago. Such antique hand-faceted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced machine-faceted gemstones.

For those who do not know, alexandrite was only produced for about fifteen years during Czarist (Imperial Russia), in the nineteenth century, before the only known mine of any significance played out. For over a hundred years the sole source of alexandrite was "recycled" Russian jewelry. Russian alexandrite is still considered to be the world's best, though very small deposits of inferior alexandrite have been found outside of the Urals in Russia in recent years. Given the rarity of the gemstone, and the enormous demand, reasonably good specimens are hard to find. Flawless specimens of any significant size have almost resulted in duels between buyers vying for the privilege of being a selected purchaser. Obviously we are hoping that the offering of this matched pair of genuine alexandrite gemstones will not precipitate any duels.

While they are not flawless gemstones, they are eye clean. The color of these gemstones is quite exquisite, a much sought after green which imparts really rich character and great visual appeal. These gemstones have great lustre, and are essentially transparent, but again, they are not entirely flawless. Of course flawless gemstones are not the rule in nature. Flawless gemstones are the hallmark of synthetic, man-made gemstones. True, the blemishes these natural gemstones do possess are virtually invisible to the naked eye, and the gemstones can be characterized, to use trade jargon, as "eye clean". However magnified five times over as they are here, you can see slight blemishes both within the stones and occasional irregularities in the cut and finish.

But these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that two centuries ago the mining techniques prevalent did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so common today. Two centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of semi-precious gemstones. Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earth's surface, were simply inaccessible. So antique gemstone must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones mined from deep beneath the earth's surface were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. But for most, the unique nature and character of these antique gemstones more than makes up for any blemishes which by and large are only visible under magnification.

HISTORY: Most sources credit the discovery of this very unique gemstone to the year 1830 on the birthday of Prince (and ultimately Czar) Alexander II in the Ural mountains in Russia. In celebration of Prince Alexander's coming-of-age, this remarkable gemstone was named after him. Alexandrite was popular in imperial Russia both with the royal family and the wealthy elite, both because of its association with the Czar, and because red and green were the colors of the Russian Empire. Alexandrite is known as a "color change" gemstone. It is emerald green in daylight, and a purplish red under artificial lights or twilight. It belongs to the chrysoberyl family of gems, and one of the most extraordinary types is a cats-eye variety of alexandrite, possessing a remarkably prominent "cat's eye".

Alexandrite is well known as a extremely scarce and very costly gem. The quality of color change with different illumination is the primary basis for its quality and price. No more than one person out of 100,000 has ever seen a real Alexandrite gemstone, although synthetic Alexandrite is common and widely available. It is likely that if you read the fine print of 99% of the Alexandrite offered at retail jewelers, you will find it to be "laboratory produced" - synthetic. Even as an artificially grown stone, alexandrite often commands a retail price of $300.00 to $500.00 per carat. Of course, alexandrite can be found in Russian jewelry of the imperial era, as it was well loved by the Russian master jewelers. Master gemologist George Kunz of Tiffany was a fan of alexandrite, and the company produced many rings featuring fine alexandrite in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, including some set in platinum from the twenties. Some Victorian jewelry from England features sets of small alexandrite. However the original source in Russia's Ural Mountains has long since closed after producing for only a few decades, and only a few stones can be found on the Russian market today.

In the past 15 years some very small deposits of Alexandrite have been discovered in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Mozambique. However the Brazilian gemstones tend to have washed out colors when cut, and the African and Celanese sources produce very dark, not brightly colored gemstones. The cut Alexandrite originating from Russia is usually "harvested" from vintage jewelry. For over a century this source of "recycled" gemstones from Russia was the only source of Alexandrite, and for many years, alexandrite was almost impossible to find because there was so little available. Russian Alexandrite remains elusive. A few specimens are still found from time-to-time in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and are sometimes available as an unset stone, but it is extremely rare in fine qualities. Stones over 5 carats are almost unknown.

SHIPPING OPTIONS: All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. Most of these antique gemstones were originally part of two collections, one originating in India principally composed of gemstones originally mined in India, Burma, Ceylon, and Siam, and then hand faceted in India. The addition of a second accumulation of antique gemstones originally mined in the Urals in the mid to late 19th century (including alexandrite) completed the collection. These gemstones as well were hand finished. The Urals have been one of the world's major sources of precious and semi-precious gemstones for many centuries. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers in Eastern Europe and Asia. These antique gemstones are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery.

We ship inventory from the USA order fulfillment center near Seattle, Washington. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipping within 48 hours of payment. A certificate of authenticity is available upon request. We prefer your personal check or money order over any other form of payment - and we will ship immediately upon receipt of your check (no "holds"). We will accept PayPal payments. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE".