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- Nov 3, 2009
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- 7,589
I think I have mentioned this set prior, but now I have decided to post pictures of it. But here is the story:
My father visited Laos in 1978. Earned some money, wanted to make presents for his wife and daughter. Went to a local market - on Saturday, he says, all these miners come to the market to sell their products. Among other things, he chose these stones which were sold for alexandrites. Now my father, not knowing much about alexandrites except that they change colors, and having no clue that the mine in Russia had run out about 80 years prior to his quest, bought three stones. They were gorgeous, and they changed color - from raspberry-purple in evening light to light-blue in daylight. He said that the seller had a small mallet which he used to strike at the stones - to prove they were real, not glass. So my father bought the set.
Later it had been set by a Russian jeweller and given to me as a gift. I wore them - occasionally, sometimes for weeks at a time, sometimes several days a year. Then I forgot about them. Then I took them out of the safe...
Well, I had noticed it before - "alexandrites" started losing their daytime blue color! They are still darker in incandescent light, but they are violetish-purple, amethyst-like in daytime light. I rememer their previous color very vividly, I am not mistaken! Other people who saw them before noticed it as well.
Now, I know they are alexandrites - for one, if they were, I should have sold them at Sotheby''s. They are huge, and the colors are different. Can they be glass? Unlikely, since they are really sturdy although I did not use my hammer on them. I am mostly concerned about loss of daytime color. They only plausible explanation I have is that they were irradiated and now are past half-decay period. But did they irradiate stones or synthetics in 1978. It is important to me, because if they did, I was walking around with heavily emitting baubles in my ears for many years.
Here are the photographs. Some of them are of another ring, sold in Russia to my GM in the beginning of 20-es as alexandrite. I do not think it is, just wanted to know what your opinion. The diamonds are old mine cut, and gold is high-carat.
My father visited Laos in 1978. Earned some money, wanted to make presents for his wife and daughter. Went to a local market - on Saturday, he says, all these miners come to the market to sell their products. Among other things, he chose these stones which were sold for alexandrites. Now my father, not knowing much about alexandrites except that they change colors, and having no clue that the mine in Russia had run out about 80 years prior to his quest, bought three stones. They were gorgeous, and they changed color - from raspberry-purple in evening light to light-blue in daylight. He said that the seller had a small mallet which he used to strike at the stones - to prove they were real, not glass. So my father bought the set.
Later it had been set by a Russian jeweller and given to me as a gift. I wore them - occasionally, sometimes for weeks at a time, sometimes several days a year. Then I forgot about them. Then I took them out of the safe...
Well, I had noticed it before - "alexandrites" started losing their daytime blue color! They are still darker in incandescent light, but they are violetish-purple, amethyst-like in daytime light. I rememer their previous color very vividly, I am not mistaken! Other people who saw them before noticed it as well.
Now, I know they are alexandrites - for one, if they were, I should have sold them at Sotheby''s. They are huge, and the colors are different. Can they be glass? Unlikely, since they are really sturdy although I did not use my hammer on them. I am mostly concerned about loss of daytime color. They only plausible explanation I have is that they were irradiated and now are past half-decay period. But did they irradiate stones or synthetics in 1978. It is important to me, because if they did, I was walking around with heavily emitting baubles in my ears for many years.
Here are the photographs. Some of them are of another ring, sold in Russia to my GM in the beginning of 20-es as alexandrite. I do not think it is, just wanted to know what your opinion. The diamonds are old mine cut, and gold is high-carat.
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