Named as a tribute to Czar Alexander II of Russia, Alexandrite was a prized gem among the Russian aristocracy. Alexandrite was found on his birthday in May of 1830 in the Ural Mountains of Russia and was held in high regard due to it’s color similarities to its host country’s military colors, green and red. It is reported that nearly all Russian Alexandrite was mined during the 19th century and is the most highly coveted of all Russian gemstones. Just as supply was beginning to be depleted on Russian material, large deposits were found in Sri Lanka (what was then called Ceylon). Finally, Brazil became a large contributor to the world supply of Alexandrites and the debates over what region supplies the best material began. Some dealers around the world were purists and prefered only the Russian material. It is known that Russian stones are referred to as having Siberian colors. Alexandrites color change between deep greens and dark reds are what is desired in an Alexandrite and can be found in both Russian, Sri Lankan and Brazilian stones. Generally it is found that in larger sizes, meaning closer to 10 carats, the Sri Lankan material carries the strongest of colors. However, Russian and Brazilian stones rank among the best available in the world. Today, most dealers accept all origins of Alexandrite and find that good material is available because of the newer Brazillian find. While there has been much debate about the best source for Alexandrite, the uniqueness and relatively short history of the color-change variety of chrysoberyl has made it one of the most coveted gems to collectors and connoisseurs alike. Although very rare, Alexandrite is available in a wide range of qualities, but mostly in sizes around 1 carat or less. Availability has increased since the 1987 find in Minais Gerais, Brazil, and it has been estimated that by 1990 some 5,000 to 10,000 carats of Brazilian Alexandrite had been cut and brought to market. This is quite a large quantity for such a rare stone. The debate over Russian and Brazilian Alexandrite has dominated much of the press throuhgout the stone’s short history, and it is known that some dealers are very one sided about the origin of their Alexandrites. Sri Lanka is also well known for its supply of Alexandrites and produces quite a large sum of the total available.
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