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Alexandrite is a form of the mineral
chrysoberyl. The best natural alexandrites still come from
Russia, but they are becoming very rare, and are therefore
very expensive. Now, companies can make alexandrite in
laboratories, and this is much cheaper to buy. A process for growing alexandrite
crystals within a laboratory
setting was invented in 1975. They look just the same as
natural ones, and only a trained person with special
equipment can tell which is which. Alexandrite is a truly magical jewel
that once inspired a great empire. It comes in different
colours, and the pictures to the right show synthetic
alexandrites, one blue and one red, made up into pendants
and surrounded by diamonds.
