Alexandrite doublet A misleading term for both suitably colored synthetic sapphire and spinel, which are used to create alexandrite doublet. See also
Full Answer
Is alexandrite a type 2 stone?
In GIA clarity grading system, alexandrite is regarded as type 2 stone, which means that it’s usually included. It only means that the best alexandrite is still expected to have few inclusions. Sometimes, the gemstone can show chatoyancy due to its needle-like inclusions, but it’s rare and more valuable.
What is an alexandrite cut?
It’s the cut that allows the gemstone to show the strongest color change through the crown. Because of alexandrite’s rarity, it’s often cut for maximum weight retention. Most of the time, it’s found in mixed cuts, featuring step-cut pavilions and brilliant-cut crowns. Oval and cushion cuts are also popular.
How much does alexandrite cost?
A high quality alexandrite can cost up to $15,000 per carat. However, an alexandrite with a dramatic color change and vivid hues might range from $50,000 to $70,000 per carat! Keep in mind that its distinct color change makes it more expensive and valuable.
What is alexandrite and how do you clean it?
Alexandrite is stable under normal wearing conditions, which means it’s resistant to the effects of heat, light, and common chemicals. Warm, soapy water is always safe for cleaning alexandrite.
What does doublet mean in jewelry?
A composite gemstone consisting of two pieces of the same or different gem materials, or one gem material and a second of glass. An example of a doublet would be a natural, undesirable color sapphire crown on a deep blue synthetic sapphire pavilion.
What is the best cut for an alexandrite?
Alexandrite is typically cut into shapes known as mixed cuts. These contain brilliant cut crowns and step-cut pavilions. For alexandrite with many flaws and inclusions, the cat's eye cabochon makes for a good cut.
What is the best color change in alexandrite?
The most important factor for alexandrite is the quality of its colour change. The most prized colour change is a strong raspberry red in incandescent light and a bright green in daylight - however an absolutely perfect specimen is not known to exist!
What is the rarest type of alexandrite?
Typically, alexandrite displays a blue-green hue in daylight, while it appears red in incandescent light. The rarest specimens of color-change alexandrite have either yellow green or plain green color.
How can you tell good quality alexandrite?
Fine alexandrite is green to bluish green in daylight and red to purplish red in incandescent light. Its color saturation is moderately strong to strong. Stones that are too light do not reach the quality of color intensity seen in fine-quality gems. Stones that are too dark lack brightness and appear almost black.
Does fake alexandrite change color?
Most gemstones described as synthetic alexandrite are actually simulated alexandrite: Synthetic corundum laced with vanadium to produce the color change.
How can I tell if my alexandrite is real?
If your stone is larger than a carat and has no inclusions, it's almost certainly a synthetic. A gemologist can tell you for sure after examining the stone under the microscope and conducting a simple test of its optical properties, called a refractive index test. .
Can natural alexandrite be purple?
In natural and fluorescent light, alexandrite can range from green to greenish blue, but under incandescent or candle light, it can appear purple to purplish red.
What color is real alexandrite?
bluish greenAlexandrite is the color-change variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Alexandrite is bluish green in daylight or fluorescent light. Alexandrite is purplish red in incandescent light or candlelight.
How much is a 1 carat alexandrite worth?
The price of Alexandrite can vary from significantly from $10,000 per carat to over $50,000 per carat depending on my factors. For example, 1 Carat Size Alexandrites significantly differ in price depending on origin, clarity, and degree of color change from $3,000 per carat up to $20,000 per carat.
Is alexandrite a good investment?
Since its discovery, Alexandrite has steadily gone up in price. In the last 5 years, Alexandrite has gone up 15% per year! Compare that to the 5 year average total return for large growth equity funds at 13%. Alexandrite has a long history that has made it the secret investment for the world's billionaires.
What is narsipatnam alexandrite?
Get Latest Price. nown in Russia as the "gem of the tsars, " alexandrite has been described as an "emerald by day" and "ruby by night." Alexandrite is a gem that exhibits strong pleochroism, meaning that it appears different colors when viewed from different angles.
What is the best way to clean an axandrite?
Warm, soapy water is always safe for cleaning alexandrite. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually safe. Alexandrites are usually not treated, although they might have fractures. Fracture-filled gemstones should only be cleaned with warm, soapy water.
What is the hardness of Alexandrite?
Alexandrite ranks 8.5 on the Mohs hardness scale.
Is Alexandrite harder than diamond?
For example, diamond is only one number away, but it’s many times harder than gems in the corundum family. Alexandrite is relatively hard—8.5 on the Mohs scale. It has excellent toughness and no cleavage, which is a tendency to break when struck.
What is doublet gemstone?
Unfortunately that's not the case in the gemstone world. A doublet is a gemstone that is composed of two parts; usually valuable gemstone material in combination with other, less expensive material.
What gemstones are doublets?
Any kind of gemstone material can be produced as a doublet, especially expensive varieties such as sapphire, ruby and alexandrite. However, doublets are most often found in opal, since high quality precious opal is both very expensive and fragile.
What is an opal doublet?
An opal doublet consists of a slice of precious opal usually glued to a black backing (common opal or glass), designed to imitate the appearance of a solid black opal . Fixing the slice of opal to a black backing causes the color to become much darker and more vibrant.
Is it a scam to sell a sapphire doublet?
Since a 2 carat sapphire doublet may contain less than 1 carat of natural sapphire, it would certainly be fraudulent to sell a doublet as a natural sapphire. A sapphire doublet may also be produced simply with the intention of saving cost.
Is a doublet a gem?
He wasn't quite sure what a doublet was and wondered whether the gem was especially valuable. On the face of it, a doublet sounds like a good thing; you would think it should be twice as good as a singlet. Unfortunately that's not the case in the gemstone world. A doublet is a gemstone that is composed of two parts;
Are Assembled Gemstones Natural or Synthetic?
While the component parts of gemstone doublets and other creations may occur naturally, the assembled stones themselves aren’t natural. For example, a gem cutter may cement a thin layer of natural opal onto a layer of natural onyx. These components are natural, of course, but the combined piece isn’t.
Gemstone Doublets and Triplets
Most gem enthusiasts will recognize doublets and triplets, especially the opal varieties. Opals frequently occur as thin seams of material within a host or matrix rock. Although beautifully colored, some deposits are too thin and fragile to be used for jewelry.
Gemstone Intarsias and Inlays
Intarsias are pictures or patterns created by small, flat pieces of gem material set within recesses in stone tablets. Some of these creations may resemble miniature mosaics when executed with precision and skill.
Mabe Pearls
Although not technically pearls, mabe pearls serve as another example of beautiful assembled stones. Pearl farmers make them from usually hollow “blister pearls” harvested from the shells of various mollusks. Abalone mollusks yield particularly prized pieces.
Foil Backs and Rhinestones
Since the advent of reasonably priced synthetics, producing assembled stones as inexpensive simulants of natural gems has diminished. However, historically, the rhinestone famously fulfilled this need. This was a type of foil back. By applying a metal foil or metallic paint backing to a gem, jewelers could simulate greater brilliance.
Assembled Stones for Birthstones and Class Rings
Although widely available, synthetic emerald remains expensive, as synthetics go. This creates a need for a good looking but less expensive substitute, especially for all those people with May birthdays. As it turns out, the inexpensive flame fusion process used to synthesize corundum and spinel can produce many colors.
Fakes and Frauds
For the most part, assembled stones have brought increased variety, beauty, practicality, and affordability to the gem marketplace. However, buyer beware. Although the heyday of assembled stones as deliberate gemstone fakes has passed, you might still encounter some pretenders.
