Alexandrite for engagement

[Lanee]

Help!!!!

Alexandrite is my birthstone (along with pearl)and I would love to maybe include this in my e-ring setting. I'll take any info and pics any one will post. I used to have a ring but my mother lost it years ago.

 

[mike04456]

Alexandrite is a beautiful gem, and an excellent ring stone (almost as good as corundum)... but goodness, it can be expensive. Good stones usually run into thousands of dollars a carat. When I was in Tucson last month, I saw oodles of gorgeous alexandrite on display, but I didn't see a single stone for less than $1000 (most of it was far more than that, at wholesale no less). If you're thinking of side stones around 0.50 ct with decent color change, I'd best be prepared to open your wallet wide. Melee might be within reach, though, if you'd be satisfied with some little channel- or pave-set stones.

 

[noles9498]

Definately keep us updated - I used to want a sapphire as an engagement stone but for a few not-so-pertinent-here reasons got soured on the idea. But I love it when someone chooses something different!!! Good for you!

 

[noles9498]

p.s.
Also being a June birthday I wish I thought of this!

Aren't there many color variations in Alexanderite? What are you considering?

 

[mike04456]

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Aren't there many color variations in Alexanderite?
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What makes alexandrite special is a phenomenon known as color-change. Commonly, alexandrite will appear green to blue-green in day/fluorescent light and red to purplish-red in incandescent light. When the change is dramatic, the stone will be very expensive. Less expensive stones will have a weaker change and less saturated colors.

 

[noles9498]

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On 3/7/2003 6:33:22 PM LawGem wrote:

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Aren't there many color variations in Alexanderite?
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What makes alexandrite special is a phenomenon known as color-change. Commonly, alexandrite will appear green to blue-green in day/fluorescent light and red to purplish-red in incandescent light. When the change is dramatic, the stone will be very expensive. Less expensive stones will have a weaker change and less saturated colors.
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That is fascinating. What, geologically speaking (and simply speaking for us lay people) is responsible for the appearance of a color change?

 

[newenglandgemlab]

Hi Lanee,

In my past retail life, I had a client wanting the same stone for an engagement ring. Being a CGA I really got into it with her and had stones brought in etc. She finally settled on a stone (it was a long process but gratifying for me too) and we put it all together. They were both very pleased. About two weeks later they came back and traded it for a traditional diamond. I think she was excited about the stone but when no one knew what it was, it put a real damper on the excitement of being engaged. I think it is great doing something different, but you have to be aware most folks won't perceive an Alexandrite as an engagement ring much less know what the stone is. Cindy

 

[dimonbob]

Hi Lanee,

I am afraid I will have to go along with Cindy on this one.
Don't get me wrong, I love alexandrites and the one I want costs as much as my Z3 and that is the reason I don't have it.
My wife has an intense, bright blue sapphire engagement ring with diamond trilliants which is beautiful and she gets lots of complements on it. Her birthday is also in June.
An alexandrite does not come in bright intense colors and it is a dark brownish color from any distance.
Get an alexandrite for your right hand and a diamond or other, maybe a sapphire, for your engagement ring.

 

[noles9498]

For the sake of my long lost sapphire engagement ring desire, do you have a photo of your wife's ring that you could post? I'd love to see it!

 

[noles9498]

If it's a Diana-esque ring the I assume that she doesn't wear any other ring/band, correct?

We got engaged on Feb. 17th in London and I was wondering when we saw the crown jewels where the beautiful Diana ring is these days.

 

[pyramid]

Princess Diana did wear a plain band with her engagement ring. I live in the United Kingdom and read in the newspapers a few times that apparently Prince William asked for her engagement ring and was given it.

 

[dimonbob]

My sweetheart's sapphire ring does not lend itself to having a band with it. She has a medium wide diamond band that she wears on her right hand when she wears her engagement ring. When she does not have on her engagement ring, she wears her diamond band on her left hand. Of course my wife's ring is not anything like Lady Diana ring nor is the diamond that large. My wife's sapphire is only 5.28 carats with trilliant diamonds on each side. Lady Diana's ring was a larger sapphire surrounded by diamonds.

 

[Lanee]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the advise. I was considering Alexandrite for baguettes on my ring. It sounds like I should reconsider but we'll see what happens. I'm going to do some surfing and see if I see anything cool about Alex in e-rings.

And I would love to see your wife's sapphire engagement ring. Please get pics!

 

[mike04456]

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That is fascinating. What, geologically speaking (and simply speaking for us lay people) is responsible for the appearance of a color change?
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Without giving a dissertation on mineralogy, it has to do with the stone's spectral absorption characteristics, which are determined by its chemical composition. Like ruby and emerald, alexandrite is colored by chromium, but in this case, the absorption is balanced so closely between green and red that its color is determined by the type of light it's viewed under. With light that's rich in greens and blues, like fluorescent, the stone will return more green to your eye, thus appearing green. With light that has more red, like incandescent, it will appear red. Pretty cool in a good stone, which is why it's so darned expensive.

 

[noles9498]

Thanks, Lawgem for your reply. Quite interesting.

Your screen name has also caught me as interesting, considering that I'm a lawyer who'd love to jump ship for gems. What gives?!?!

 

[mike04456]

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Your screen name has also caught me as interesting, considering that I'm a lawyer who'd love to jump ship for gems. What gives?!?!
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What gives is that I happen to be the only person I'm aware of whose day job involves both law and gemology (I know some other lawyer/gemologists, but all of them just do it as a hobby). I got into this field almost by accident, as I was hired for my legal skills and then got a GG (on my company's dime) to expand the scope of my job. There's more overlap than you might think, but it's an understatement to say this isn't what I expected to be doing when I was in law school.

 

[noles9498]

And in a related story, I am green.....not with spectral absorption characteristics.....but with ENVY!!

 

[winyan]

Hi Lanee

About 10 years ago I got the bright idea to combine an oval tanzanite center stone with 3 smaller alexandrite side stones. The ring is lovely, and no matter what color the alexandrites are they still look striking with the oval tanzanite. I've had a lot of comments on that ring, especially questions on the alexandrites.

I think the combo of alexandrites with a diamond very distinctive. I wouldn't give up the idea too quickly, just make sure you get *real* alexandrites cause there are a lot of sythetics out there. You normally can tell a synthetic, because not only is it *too* eye clean, but the color change is more grey green to violet, rather than green to red/purplish. In other words the stone will not be as vibrant.

win

 

[jaki528]

I beg to differ on the brownish color of the Alexanderite.... a really true Alexanderite is a raspberry purpleish red inside the house, in the shade it is a pale emerald green, in the sunlight it is in massively brillant: with a variation of colors....including pinks,blues,purples,reds & greens depending on how you hold it up to the light... just sitting in my car I see all these colors.... I own a 5.5 carat ring. Evaluating Alexanderite...there is an AWESOME & DRAMATIC/COMPLETE shift from red to green to bluish green & other colors,(without the bleeding thru of brown from one color to the next), The more RARE & VALUABLE the stone... I purchased a Jewelry Designer & Repair Shop from an older gentleman who was retiring after 40 years... I got the business at a much lower price than I expected...he just wanted out... Obviuosly he didn't realize what he had or he just didn't care... the safe was full of various & massive amount of loose stones... the ones that really caught my eyes were the ones that changed color & the ones that had two colors combined. I took these to a Gemologist friend of mine & had them checked, the ones that were bi-colored were Sapphires & the colored changed ones were Alexanderites...needless to say I started reading up on these stones... But I was mostly impressed by wearing one and the attention that I received was oustanding... they are Strikingly Attractive.... Although I no longer design jewelry... and I now work in retail...I still look at women's ring every chance I get...it gives me the opportunity to show off my Alexanderite... I get buyers that way. I will be going to Manhattan later on in the year to sell those & other gemstones that I have in my collection....

 

[Lanee]

So do you still have the Alexandrite? When is your trip to Manhattan? I would love to see pictures, is that possible? Is your email still the same?

 

[jaki528]

Lanee, yes I still have the Alexanderites in my posession... I am in the process of putting them on disc... should be able to show them in a couple of days .... the complete collection of just them.... my e-mail address is [email protected]... thanks for being interested....

 

[Giangi]

A 5.5ct Alexandrite!!??

May I ask you how much did you pay it? $25K? On cherrypicked.com I found this one:
Weight: 4.38 carats
Shape: Cushion
Total Price: $28,470!
If I were you I'd send it to GIA, IGI, HRD or AGTL!

 

[winyan]

I would do exactly what Giangi suggested...send the largest/cleanest/best color change stones into the GIA for grading.

The prices for clean, excellent color change Russian (especially) Alexandrite are constantly rising,...

At one point I heard as high as 35k per carat. (though I'd take that with the proverbial grain of salt.)

It would be worth your time to find out exactly what you have.

win

 

[mike04456]

Win, I've seen Alexandrites in that range, but those are world-class stones. Like the one Giangi found, $5-6k/ct retail is the extra-fine range that you're more likely to see, though more expensive is not hard to find. At Tucson in February, most of what I saw (which, mind, was Brazilian, not Russian) was going for $1-3k/ct wholesale.

 

[jaki528]

Giangi, the Alexanderite stone i wear is from the collection of gemstones that was with the business that i purchased.... i mounted it in ring that had another stone in it. It looks great & is easily admired by everyone... there is a certified Gemologist here in Savannah, I will have him look at it then.... thanks for all of the advice.... I will let YA'LL know something

 

[Giangi]

Okay. I'm very curious to hear his/her opinion on the value of this stone!

 

[Richard Sherwood]

A gem quality Alexandrite over 5 carats in size is very rare and very expensive, commanding easily over $10,000 per carat wholesale, with some gems commanding as much as $20,000 per carat. Usually the top gem quality stones are Russian.

Fine quality is less, and commercial quality substantially less.

There's an awful lot of fakes out there. For every 1000 supposed alexandrites brought to me for ID, about 1 or 2 are real. Most the rest are synthetic color change sapphire, natural color change garnet or synthetic alexandrite.

 

[katiekx42]

I was wondering if anyone could answer a question I have. My father's father died back in the 1960's in the Navy. He bought many gems overseas in Japan. One was a stone that changes color. I know quite a bit about Alexandrite, and have a very small .12 ct from when I was a child. This one that he bought looks to be about 3 or 4 carats. It is completely clear. There is a definate change in the color. It looks to be a rasberry color then changes to a very pale bluish green in natural light. Is there any way that this could be a true alexandrite? How would I go about getting it tested?

 

[valeria101]

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On 3/8/2003 8:17:44 PM Lanee wrote:

Hi guys,

I was considering Alexandrite for baguettes on my ring.----------------

BAGUETTES!!! Isn't it enought that good alexes are rare? Asking for a PAIR (and there you'd have to match both color shades...) in a UNUSUAL cut. Hm... surely, if you find these and get the ring together it would be a GREAT charm (and proof) of good luck! As for the small rounds: pave with little alexandrites looks quite intriguing, especially given that the stones are unlikely to look 'matched' in most light conditions and end-up forming nice shades of color. Very interesting. Can't wait to see the follow-up!

And, byt the way, I've seen some nice alexandrite at awesomegems, if I didn't mention it already. And Multicolor has just replenished stock with some surprising little ones. And my jeweler has brought one in, unfortunately