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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.
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What is it used for? It is used as a gemstone in jewelry.
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Interesting Information:
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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].
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It was found in the Ural Mountains of Russia first and named for the Russian czar Alexander II around
the time of his birthday.
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| 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. |
| 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 |
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