Alexandrite! A June birthstone is called the chameleon stone due to its ability to look green or red depending upon what light it's viewed in. Enhances creativity and allows alignment between the physical and spiritual realms. Great for intuitive work!

A stone with phenomenal color-changing ability, alexandrite is one of the birthstones for June, along with pearl and moonstone. The stone was discovered in the 1830s and was named in honor of Czar Alexander II.

Regional Variations in Alexandrites

Brazilian alexandrites tend to have pale colors, pale blue-green to pale mauve. However, finer gems have been found recently in limited quantity.

Cat’s Eye Alexandrites. Alexandrite is a variety of the gem species chrysoberyl, well-known for its chatoyancy or “cat’s eye” effect when cabbed. As members of this species, alexandrites can also show a cat’s eye effect. However, such gems are quite rare.

Sri Lankan alexandrite often appears deep olive green in sunlight, whereas Russian stones appear bluish-green in sunlight.

Zimbabwean gems show a fine, emerald-green color in sunlight but are usually tiny. If clean, they weigh under 1 carat. The color change in Zimbabwean gems is among the best known, but large, clean stones are virtually unobtainable from the rough from this locality.

Alexandrites have two primary value drivers.

First, the closer the colors to pure green and red, the higher the value. Second, the more distinct the color change, the higher the value. Alexandrites can exhibit everything from 100% to just 5% color change. Thus, the most valuable gems would have a 100% color shift from pure green to pure red. Blue greens and purplish or brownish reds hold less value.

Clarity also plays a significant role in grading. As is the case with a majority of gems, most naturally occurring alexandrite isn’t clean, face table material. Most are best suited for cabbing. However, an alexandrite’s color change has more effect on its value than its clarity. For example, take two alexandrites of equal size. One gem is eye clean, with a 50% greenish blue to brownish-red color change.

Color Change
The color change gemstone phenomenon can occur under a variety of lighting types. When grading an alexandrite’s color change, gemologists consider the stone’s color in natural sunlight as the baseline. Thus, the classic alexandrite color change is green in sunlight and red in incandescent light.

Stones Sizes
The largest known faceted alexandrite, a 65.7-ct green/red color change stone from Sri Lanka, resides at the Smithsonian Institution. The largest Russian gems weigh about 30 carats. However, the vast majority of alexandrites weigh under one carat. Stones over five carats are very rare, especially with good color change.

Alexandrite Care
With a hardness of 8.5, alexandrite makes a very durable stone suitable for any jewelry setting. Nevertheless, take care when faceting the stone. Alexandrite is still sensitive to knocks and extreme heat.

These gems have no special care requirements. You can clean them mechanically, per the instructions of the system used. Of course, you can also wash them with warm, soapy water and a brush. 

 Whether you’re celebrating a June birthday or honoring Florida’s state gemstone, moonstone jewelry makes a luminous gift.

Like diamonds and other gemstones, moonstones are assessed by the 4Cs: color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

Moonstone Color

Moonstone that’s colorless with a blue sheen is most valuable but moonstone is available in green, peach, brown, and gray with blue, silver, white, or rainbow adularescence. Generally, the more transparent the stone and the bluer its adularescence (or sheen), the higher its value.

Moonstone Clarity

Moonstone that is almost transparent and as free of inclusions as possible is generally preferred. A slight translucency helps to accentuate the adularescence.

Moonstone Cut

Most moonstone is cut in the smooth domed shape called a cabochon to best show the adularescence. Faceted moonstone is becoming more popular.

Moonstone Carat Weight

Moonstone is available in a wide range of sizes but fine material is rare in large sizes and its value increases as a result.

This beautiful gemstone’s weakness is its relatively low hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale, making it prone to stress cracking. Care is required with moonstone jewelry like rings or bracelets, so brooches and pendants are often preferred instead.

There is no synthetic moonstone on the market. Although it has been simulated by chalcedony and manmade spinels, these imitations are easy to spot.

How to Clean Your Moonstone?

It goes without saying that all precious and semi-precious stones must be cleaned frequently. You do not need any special appliances to clean them, though. Most stones respond well to mild detergent and warm water. Scrub them using a soft brush, preferably a baby brush with soft bristles. Avoid scrubbing too hard else you may end up scratching the stone. Rinse the Moonstone and dry it gently with the help of a soft, lint-free cloth. Always rinse your gem-studded jewellery in a bowl of water. Sometimes the stones on a piece of jewellery become loose in their settings. Rinsing them in a sink or wash basin poses a risk of losing such gems.

Make sure to wipe off any trace of makeup from your Moonstone jewellery when you remove them after use. A soft pure cotton cloth is the best choice for wiping such jewellery.