Genuine Alexandrite Studs, Handcrafted Gemstone, 19th Century Gem, Antique Gemstone, Natural Alexandrite, Color-Change Gem, 14kt Gold Earrings, Alexandrite Earrings, Siberian Gemstone, Alexandrite Jewelry, Timeless Treasure Jewelry Gift.
Two Antique Genuine Natural Siberian Color Change Alexandrite Round Precious Gemstones. Set into High Quality Solid 14kt Gold “Heart” Style Ear Studs.
CLASSIFICATION: Hand Crafted, Faceted Alexandrite Rounds. Mounted into Contemporary High Quality 14kt Solid Gold Studs.
ORIGIN: 19th Century Gemstone.
SIZE: Diameter: 2mm. Thickness (Depth): 1mm. All measurements approximate.
WEIGHT: Approximately 0.10 carats (the pair).
NOTE: If you prefer, upon request, other setting styles are available such as french hooks, lever backs, euro clicks, kidney wires, ball/stud dangles, etc., as are sterling silver or 14kt gold fill settings.
DETAIL: Beware! The vast majority of alexandrite offered in the USA is synthetic. The American Gemological Institute estimates that less than 1 in every 100,000 Americans has ever even seen genuine, natural alexandrite. Here are two stunning, brilliant, gorgeous, rare, natural green alexandrite gemstones from the Ural Mountains. The gemstones were hand crafted and faceted by a 19th century artisan, part of an heritage renown for the production of the elaborate gemstones and jewelry of the Czars of Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Europe. Though we're not trying to intimate that the gemstones are absolutely flawless, to the eye at least the gemstones are clean and without discernible blemish.
Yes, the gemstones 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 heart color with peach undertones, or a violet-blue, depending upon the intensity and color of the light source. 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.
True to its reputation, the light of the scanner turned these two gemstones a bright heart-peach. And a decent digital camera shows them as violet-purple. The stones are capable of all of those colors, true chameleons, quite extraordinary precious gemstones. The green images on this page were produced using a filter which suppressed the color change so as to produce an image to show you the normal color of the gemstones. But the remaining heart-peach and violet-blue images give more detail and show you what they look like “fully illuminated”. These fascinating and sumptuous gemstones were hand crafted in 19th century into beautiful little round faceted gemstones; very similar to the contemporary “brilliant cut” generally applied to round diamonds in today’s world.
We matched them as best one can with a pair of antique gemstones. In the accompanying photo enlargements 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 gorgeous gemstones, full of fire and sparkle, gorgeous, vibrant, possessing exceptional clarity and color. They are truly special little gemstones, quite rare.
For those who do not know, alexandrite was only produced for about fifteen years during Czarist (Imperial Europe), 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" jewelry. Alexandrite is still considered to be the world's best, though very small deposits of inferior alexandrite has been found outside of the Urals. 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.
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. The earring settings are of contemporary origin. They are high quality settings manufactured by one of the USA’s leading semi-custom mount producers. They are constructed of solid 14kt gold. We can reset into simple posts, fancy studs, french hooks, lever backs, euro clicks, kidney wires, ball-stud dangles, upon request if you prefer something other than these heart-moti studs; and if you prefer a more affordable alternative, then 14kt gold fill or sterling silver.
As might be expected under magnification the gemstones show the unmistakable, hallmark characteristics of having been hand crafted. The coarseness of the 19th century finish is considered appealing to most gemstone aficionados, and is not considered a detriment, or detract from the value of such gemstones. These characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, many believe that such antique hand-crafted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced, laser-cut gemstones. Unlike today’s computer controlled machine produced gemstones that approach flawlessness in a perfect finish, the cut and finish of handcrafted gemstones like these is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago.
Handcrafted though they may be these gemstones have great luster and sparkle, and are essentially transparent, but that is not to intimate that they are entirely flawless. True, the blemishes they possess are virtually invisible to the naked eye, and to use trade jargon the gemstones can be characterized as "eye clean". However magnified as they are here in these photo enlargements you might be able to detect a few minute blemishes within the stones. Of course much the same may said about almost any natural gemstone, and in particular, with regard to natural alexandrite. An absolutely flawless gemstone simply is not the rule in nature. Most absolutely flawless gemstones will upon close examination be revealed to be synthetic.
You might also notice under magnification occasional irregularities in the cut and finish. Naturally 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. Keep in mind that 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.
It is precisely for these reasons antique gemstones must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones routinely mined from deep beneath the earth's surface today were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. However for most, the unique nature and character of these antique gemstones more than makes up for the blemishes found within the gemstones, as well as the cutting irregularities common to handcrafted gemstones, all of which are by and large (if at all) are only visible under magnification.
ALEXANDRITE HISTORY: Alexandrite is known as a "color change" gemstone. It is emerald green in daylight or under fluorescent lighting, and a purplish red or blue under incandescent lighting, candlelight, 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". 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, near the city of Ekaterinburg. In celebration of Prince Alexander's coming-of-age, this remarkable gemstone was named after him. Alexandrite was popular 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 Empire (and its flag).
However this most rare stone did not bring to Alexander the good fortune it is now generally associated with. Upon ascending to the throne, Alexander II began long-awaited reforms, including abolishing serfdom, a deed that earned him the name of “The Liberator”. But a terrorist’s bomb ended his life. In memoriam of the monarch who passed away so prematurely, many people started to wear alexandrite jewelry. It was considered to be the symbol of loyalty to the throne and compassion towards the victims of the revolutionary terror, but at the same time, it said a lot about the owner’s fortune and social position. Even in those times, it was quite difficult to buy an alexandrite ring.
Alexandrite is well known to be an extremely scarce and very costly gem. The quality of color change with different illumination is the primary basis for its quality and price. According to the Gemstone Institute of America (“GIA”), no more than one person out of 100,000 has ever seen a natural 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. If there is a huge color change from a very intense green to a very intense red/purple, you can be 99.9% sure that both the color change and the gemstone itself is synthetic. The shift in color of natural gemstones is generally much more subtle. Kind of like the difference in taste between fruit juice and Kool-Aide. One is subtle and natural, the other brassy and synthetic.
However 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 jewelry of the imperial era, as it was well loved by the 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 featured sets of small alexandrite. However the original source in Ural Mountains has long since closed after producing for only a few decades, and only a few stones can be found on the market today.
In the past few decades some very small deposits of alexandrite have been discovered in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, India, 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 alexandrite from India tends to be very low quality, with limited color change. The cut alexandrite is usually "harvested" from vintage jewelry. For over a century this source of "recycled" gemstones was the only source of Alexandrite, and for many years, alexandrite was almost impossible to find because there was so little available. Siberian Alexandrite remains elusive. A few specimens are still found from time-to-time in the Ural Mountains, and are sometimes available as an unset stone, but it is extremely rare in fine qualities.
Stones over 5 carats are almost unknown, though the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., owns a 66 carat specimen, which is believed to be the largest cut alexandrite in existence. The colors within alexandrite are due to trace amounts of the mineral impurities iron, titanium, and chromium (and rarely vanadium is also present). As is the case with emerald, the chromium element both giveth and taketh away. While chromium is responsible both for the green color as well as the color change characteristics of alexandrite, chromium also causes alexandrite (like emerald and ruby) to be characterized by fissures and fractures within the gemstone. Just as emerald is treated under high pressure with oil, in recent years newly-mined alexandrite has oftentimes similarly treated under high pressure with a fluxing agent such as resin, wax, or borax.
The tiny crevasses and fractures are then filled with this material under high pressure, and the treatment is generally very difficult to detect outside of the laboratory. However whereas emerald (and ruby) are routinely treated, alexandrite is only occasionally (and only recently) afforded such treatment. The treatment is a recent development, and was not used on gemstones produced in the nineteenth century. Alexandrite is thought to bring luck, good fortune and love, and also to allow the wearer to foresee danger. It is also believed to encourage romance, and to strengthen intuition, creativity, and imagination. Alexandrite is also believed to be beneficial in the treatment of leukemia. On the metaphysical plane, alexandrite is believed useful in reinforcing one's self esteem and balancing positive and negative energy.
