could you please tell us about the gem stone alexandrite
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: According to Encyclopedia Britannica (http://www.lib.duke.edu/databases/descriptions/britanni.htm), “Alexandrite is a remarkable and valued variety [of chrysoberyl] that when viewed along the different crystallographic (optical) axes, changes from columbine red to orange yellow to emerald green. In addition, the stone changes from green in daylight to red in artificial light.” It also says that “The two best known and most widely used varieties of chrysoberyl are alexandrite (transparent) and Oriental cat’s-eye (opaque). Because of its great power of absorption of certain colours, alexandrite looks green in daylight and reddish purple in artificial light. The cat’s-eye is a yellowish green colour and is characterized by a luminous line. The intensity of the light in this line varies according to the brightness of the rays of light that strike it.”
The International Colored Gemstone Association website has a more expansive entry (http://gemstone.org/alex.html).
I was handed down a ring that was my grandmother’s…probably around 50-70 years old. I was told it was an amethyst and it looked exactly the color of another amethyst ring I own, so I assumed that that is what it was. However, when I wore it to work (in fluorescent light) for the first time, it changed from the amethyst purple color to very dark purple-blue. When I got home (incandescent light), it changed back to the lighter amethyst color with pink reflections. I was told by someone that it could be a color-changing alexandrite and not an amethyst. Could this be possible and how do I tell?
I really think you need to take it to a competent jeweler, who’s knowledgeable about gems, to take a look. The colors you mention don’t exactly match the colors in the blurb quoted in the original response. Everything looks different in fluorescent light. I’ll take your word that it’s not a 1970’s mood ring.