Alexandrite

	What is it and where is it formed? Alexandrite is the birthstone for June. It is one of the world’s rarest gems. It is found in igneous rock.
	How and where is it mined? It is mined using surface and underground mining. The kind of mining that is used depends on how close to the surface the Alexandrite is. If it is only a little ways underground, surface mining will be used. If it is far, far underground, then underground mining will be used. Alexandrite is mined in Russia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Many of the mines are rough and do not use the latest in technology and equipment. This makes them less safe.
	What is it used for? It is used as a gemstone in jewelry.

It was found in the Ural Mountains of Russia first and named for the Russian czar Alexander II around
the time of his birthday.

Mineral Characteristic	What the mineralogists say	Kid's Guide: What it REALLY means!
Chemical Symbol	BeAl₂O₄	It has aluminum, beryllium, and oxygen in it.
Color	Green or red	In sunlight/fluorescent light the stone is green. In regular light bulb light or candlelight, the stone is red.
Streak	White	When the stone is rubbed on a white plate, it leaves a white dust. If the stone is crushed, this is what color the powder would be.
Transparency	Transparent to translucent	You can see through some stones and others are blurry to look through.
Luster	Glassy	It shines like glass.
Cleavage	Imperfect	If you break this mineral, it will not split smoothly and evenly. You can’t break it over and over again and get the same shaped pieces.
Fracture	Conchoidal	The stone has a smooth, shell-like surface when it is broken.
Magnetism	None	It will not attract or be attracted to a magnet.
Hardness	8.5	The stone is HARD. It will scratch the streak plate that you test it on. It would also scratch a nail!
Specific gravity	3.5	If you held it, this stone would seem a little bit heavier than its size would make you think it would be.
Crystal Shape	Orthorhombic

Its color comes from chromium. Depending
on what kind of light shines on it, Alexandrite can be green [sunlight/fluorescent light] or red [regular light bulb or candlelight].

Links:

	Wikipedia: Chrysoberyl
	Ed Helper Rocks & Minerals quizzes {For Teachers]
	Lesson Planet [For Teachers]

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Citations:

“Alexandrite.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.

“Alexandrite.” 24 Nov. 2005.
<http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/alexandr/alexandr.htm>.