The June birthstone, alexandrite is a recently discovered gem, first found at a Russian emerald mine two weeks after Tsar Alexander II ascended the throne in 1831. (You can see where they got the name.)
Under sunlight, alexandrite looks blue-green, while it shows reddish-purple under artificial light! The original Russian miners thought they had brought emeralds out of the mine, but looking at them in the fire light that evening they looked red! The next morning, under sunlight, they again appeared green.
Tiffany’s legendary gem buyer, George Kunz, fell in love with alexandrite and traveled to Russia in search of it. He bought so much that Tiffany’s cornered the market on alexandrite for decades!
Alexandrite is also the gemstone of the 55th anniversary.
June gemstone: alexandrite-colored glass jewelry
While these two-tone glass drops do not have such a dramatic change as the alexandrite gemstone, their lovely blue and green display a fascinating change in their own right. Look from one angle and you will see the two vividly distinct colors. From another, a blending of the two, reminiscent of the changing colors of the sea.
