0.16 Ct. Alexandrite from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

There is a rare moment when a gemstone does more than sparkle, when it stirs an emotion that feels like the beginning of a memory. This beautiful transparent alexandrite from Ceylon, offered by The Natural Gemstone Company, delivers that moment with graceful intensity. At 0.16 carat and measuring 3.17 by 4.66 by 2.27 mm, this fancy shaped gem may be delicate in size, yet it is enormous in character. Its intense color intensity shifts from a vivid green under fluorescent light to a warm orangish glow under incandescent light, a transformational display that has made alexandrite legendary. The gem is faceted with a step cut, very very slightly included at eye level, unheated and untreated, and finished with an excellent polish, each of these attributes ensuring that what you hold is wholly natural and deeply alive with color, clarity and light.

The cut is where this alexandrite truly sings, and as a gem specialist at The Natural Gemstone Company I love explaining how thoughtful faceting enhances the stone so the light seems to dance from within. A step cut uses long, parallel facets that resemble a miniature hall of mirrors, and on this gem those broad planes act like windows and mirrors at once, directing light through the body of the stone and returning broad, dramatic flashes of hue rather than the tiny scintillation of a brilliant cut. Because alexandrite is prized for its color change, the step cut emphasizes color saturation and depth, allowing the green to pool and the orangish tones to warm, depending on the light source. The shallow yet proportioned depth of 2.27 mm has been carefully maintained to allow the pavilion facets to reflect light back through the crown in harmonious waves, so each change in illumination reveals new facets of color and fire. The faceted angles have been chosen to balance return of light and preservation of the color change effect, so that under cool fluorescent light the green becomes lively and luminous, and under warm incandescent light the gem opens into a honeyed orange with golden flashes. The excellent polish ensures every facet edge is crisp and reflective, magnifying those mirrored planes so the gem appears larger than its weight suggests, and its very very slightly included clarity means the interior is clean enough to allow unimpeded passage of light, while still authentic and natural in appearance.

Imagine holding this little marvel between tweezers, or seeing it set in a delicate ring or pendant, where its color change greets you like a secret note passed across a crowded room. Its fancy shape gives it personality, an unconventional elegance that will catch a lover of fine things off guard with joy, and its natural origin in Sri Lanka adds a story that becomes part of the piece it adorns. This alexandrite is a jewel meant to mark a meaningful moment, a promise, an anniversary, or a surprise that says I saw something unique and thought of you. From the first glance you will feel the excitement of discovery, and with each change in light you will feel the warmth of a memory being made. At The Natural Gemstone Company we stand behind the natural provenance and uncompromised polish of this stone, and we invite you to choose a gem that will not only reflect light, but reflect love.