Top 5 Alexandrite Origin Countries

Alexandrite Intro

The color changing chrysoberyl mineral gemstone - Alexandrite, is universally known as June’s birthstone.

An Alexandrite is considered one of the rarest gemstones in the world. This color changing gem exhibits a hardness of 8.5 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, making it one of the most durable gemstones that can be used routinely in any form of jewelry.

Alexandrites were originally discovered in the Ural Mountains in Russia, but have since been found in many different parts of the world.

Alexandrite Resources

Below are the top 5 sources where Alexandrites are currently mined from:

1. Russia 

2. Sri Lanka 

3. Brazil

4. India 

5. Africa

Russia

Alexandrites from Russia continue to be the best source for the highest quality gems and the mosy significant color change. Few important deposits within Russia include Mariinskoye, Cheremshanskoye, Sretenskoye, and Krasnobolotnoye - the place where the largest and most splendid Russian alexandrites were found in 1839. 

The alexandrites from russia are of the finest quality and exhibits bluish green color in daylight and a rich purplish red color in incandescent light.

Sri Lanka

Ceylon or Sri Lanka is a rich source for a variety of gemstones including sapphires, rubies, spinels and alexandrites. There are many Sri Lankan towns that are famous for originating renowned gemstones, including localities such as Ratnapura district in Sabaragamuwa Province, Elahera in Central Province, Okkampitiya in Uva Province, and the Kataragama area in Southern Province. The chrysoberyl occurrences are more frequently found in and around Morawaka and Deniyaya in Southern Province. 

Ceylon Alexandrites are known to display color change that tends to be greenish yellow to brown color change. This color change is very different from what is found in Russian and Brazilian alexandrites.

Brazil

Minas Gerais in Brazil is known to have deposits of various types of gemstones. In the 1980’s, the Russian mines started to deplete. During that time, the Pegmatite district in Minas Gerais was discovered and quickly became one of the world’s major suppliers of high quality alexandrites.

Brazilian alexandrites have a distinct color change that is often compared to the finest Russian alexandrites, but with higher clarity and larger sizes.

India

Alexandrites are mined in 5 cities in India - Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. The highest quality alexandrites are typically found in Odisha.

Indian alexandrites tend to change from a nice bluish green to a lighter purple color. They also exhibit strong color changes in the finer quality.

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