| The origin of alexandrite is shrouded in somewhat | | | | assassinated in 1881.) |
| of a mystery. Delivered up from the Ural | | | | There is little doubt that no matter how |
| Mountains near the Tokovaya River, it is popularly | | | | alexandrite got its name, its colors had a hand in |
| believed that alexandrite was discovered by the | | | | the decision, since green and red are the |
| Finnish mineralogist Nils Gustaf Nordenskjöld | | | | traditional colors of Imperial Russia. |
| on April17, 1834. This was the 16th birthday of | | | | Through the years, besides being used by Russian |
| the future Tsar Alexander II of Russia. | | | | master jewelers, no less a gemologist than |
| Nordenskjöld is said to have named the new | | | | Tiffany's George Fredrick Kunz was particularly |
| gem in the boy's honor. However, a contrary | | | | taken by the beauty and form of alexandrite. He |
| story holds that some time before the date in | | | | produced a number of masterpieces using |
| question, Nordenskjöld was examining mineral | | | | alexandrite at the end of the 19th and beginning |
| samples that had been sent to him by Count Leo | | | | of the 20th century. |
| Aleksevich Petrovski, a Russian noble. At first, | | | | For a beautiful selection of gemstone rings and |
| Nordenskjöld thought gem to be an emerald. | | | | rich knowledgeable gemstone jewelry articles, visit |
| Later in the day, under artificial light, he noted the | | | | from Apples of Gold Jewelry. |
| color change and correctly recognized it as a new | | | | Apples of Gold Jewelry has launched it's new |
| variety of chrysoberyl. He suggested that the | | | | section of gemstone jewelry articles with rich |
| new stone be called 'diaphanite' - from the Greek | | | | insight on all major natural gemstones, such as the |
| "to or two show through" - the root of our word | | | | ruby, emerald, and sapphire gems, as well as |
| 'diaphanous'. Petrovski, imperially minded, patriotic | | | | articles on tanzanite jewelry, amethyst rings, |
| Russian that he was, saw to it that the new gem | | | | pearls, pink sapphire rings, onyx jewelry, topaz |
| would be brought to public light as alexandrite - | | | | jewelry, aquamarine rings, peridot rings and garnet |
| for the recently come-of-age tsarevich. (Just as a | | | | gems. |
| side note, Alexander II came to the throne at the | | | | With expert insight and research on the major |
| height of the Crimean War. Although sometimes | | | | gems, Apples of Gold Jewelry is a valuable |
| cited as a relative liberal, Alexander was an | | | | authority on gemstone jewelry. |
| autocrat to the core - destined to be | | | | |