Is there a difference between “Russian” and “Brazilian” Alexandrite gemstones?
The mining of alexandrite in Russia lasted less than 100 years from the time it was discovered in 1833 to the early 1900’s. It was George Kunz, the gemologist/gemstone buyer for Tiffany & Co that probably did the most to popularize this unique gemstone. Kunz was the supreme marketer of gems and minerals of his day. He was so captivated by alexandrite that he traveled all the way to Russia in search of it. As a result of his travels, almost half of the all the early Russian alexandrite jewelry was said to have been made by Tiffany & Co. The pieces are dated in the 19th century and feature alexandrites as center stones. They are considered to be collector items and are occasionally available at some of the high end jewelry auctions. From a historical perspective, it is clear that Russian alexandrites are the most valuable of all the alexandrites if their origin can indeed be proved. In terms of quality however, Brazilian alexandrites may be better. With better clarity and a strong color
