June’s birthstone alexandrite is a gorgeous gemstone with color changing properties. This mesmerizing gem shifts from green to purplish red depending on the light, so it’s often described as “emerald by day, ruby by night.” Discover more about this spellbinding birthstone as we share everything you need to know about alexandrite.
What Is Alexandrite?
Alexandrite is a rare, color-changing variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Alexandrite displays a distinctive color change when viewed in different types of light. In natural light or fluorescent light, fine quality alexandrite has a vivid green to bluish green color. In incandescent light, fine quality alexandrite changes to have a red to purplish red color.
How Does Alexandrite Change Color?
Alexandrite shifts in color because it contains trace amounts of chromium, an element that strongly absorbs yellow light. This makes this beautiful stone more prone to displaying blue-green or red light. When alexandrite in a more blue light, such as daylight or fluorescent light, the blue-green light waves become more dominant. When it’s in a more yellow light, such as candlelight or the warm incandescent light emitted by many lightbulbs, the red light waves become more dominant.
History of Alexandrite Birthstone
Alexandrite was first discovered in the 19th century, so it’s quite new compared to most other gemstones. The first alexandrite deposits were found in the mountains of Ural, Russia, in 1830. Alexandrite’s red and green hue matches Russia’s military colors and, after its discovery, it became the official gemstone of Imperial Russia. According to legend, the gemstone was named for Alexander II due to being discovered on his birthday.
The Ural Mountain deposits, which yielded alexandrite gems with especially vivid color, were eventually depleted. Today, most new alexandrites come from major alexandrite deposits in Sri Lanka, Brazil, and East Africa. Fine alexandrite gems are still found in these deposits, but most newly found alexandrite displays a muddier color change compared to Russian alexandrite.
Alexandrite is one of the rarest gemstones, so high quality natural alexandrite comes at a high price. In recent years, lab-grown alexandrite has become more widely available, allowing more people to purchase and enjoy this spectacular color-changing stone.
Meaning of Alexandrite Birthstone
Because of its color changing properties, alexandrite is seen as a symbol of transformation and balance. This beautiful gemstone is associated with good luck, joy, harmonious love, and prosperity. Alexandrite is also known for being one of the three June birthstones and the modern gemstone given for the 55th wedding anniversary.
Why Are There Three June Birthstones?
People born in the month of June are lucky to have three beautiful birthstone options: alexandrite, pearl, and moonstone. Pearl is the traditional June birthstone, while moonstone and alexandrite are both modern options.
The National Association of Jewelers adopted moonstone as a June birthstone in 1912, and alexandrite was first named as a June birthstone by the Jewelry Industry Council of America in 1952. All three are still frequently used in June birthstone jewelry, so June babies have a wide variety of alexandrite, moonstone, and pearl birthstone jewelry pieces to choose from.
Cleaning and Caring For Alexandrite
Alexandrite is a tough gemstone that’s suited for daily wear in all types of jewelry, including rings. With an 8.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness and no cleavage, alexandrite gemstones are impressively hard and durable.
The best way to clean alexandrite jewelry is with soap and warm water. Create a soapy water solution by adding a few drops of mild dish soap to lukewarm water in a bowl. Soak your jewelry for 30 minutes, scrub with a soft toothbrush, rinse, and then dry with a soft cloth.
It’s usually safe to clean alexandrite stones with ultrasonic cleaners and steam cleaners. However, be mindful of any less durable materials in your alexandrite jewelry. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are unlikely to harm alexandrite, but they can easily harm fragile jewelry elements like soft stones, treated gemstones, or delicate metal settings.
1-855-368-2837
Comments are closed.