0.58 Ct. Alexandrite from Brazil

This pear shaped alexandrite, offered by The Natural Gemstone Company, is a transparent gem weighing zero point five eight carat, with dimensions of six point six seven by four point five four by two point nine six millimeters. The cutter executed a mixed brilliant strategy, with a brilliant facet arrangement on the crown and a more controlled pavilion geometry to balance color saturation and light return. This mixed brilliant approach deliberately moderates pavilion spill to emphasize the stone inherent color change, while preserving the scintillation that buyers expect in a fine transparent gem. The pear outline is well centered, with careful girdle symmetry and a tip profile that minimizes stress concentrations, making the shape practical for a variety of bespoke settings, and the excellent polish across facet planes produces razor sharp facet junctions and crisp light delineation under loupe examination.

Color is the defining attribute of this specimen, exhibiting a dramatic change from bluish green in daylight or fluorescent conditions to a pinkish purple under incandescent lighting, a transition that reads as vivid in intensity in both states. The chromium driven color mechanism in alexandrite produces selective absorption bands that result in this strong metameric response, and the gem has been cut to maximize the visibility of that effect. Compared to other alexandrites within the same size class, this stone leans toward a stronger bluish green in cool light and a saturated purple in warm light, which is characteristic of Brazilian material that often shows deep but cool greens and clear purple reds rather than the deep raspberry red seen in some classic Ural material. The vivid intensity ensures the color change remains legible even under mixed lighting, while the transparency allows the internal color zoning and pleochroic directions to remain visible without undue clouding.

In terms of clarity and internal structure, the stone is graded slightly included at eye level, a practical and market acceptable clarity category for natural alexandrite of this weight. The inclusions are small and primarily internal, and they contribute minimally to light obstruction, which allows the gem to maintain strong brilliance and color saturation when viewed face up. In live viewing the inclusions can act as micro facets that scatter light in a way that can enhance the perception of depth in the bluish green state, and they are positioned such that the facet reflections and the color change remain the primary visual narrative. For buyers who prioritize clean stones, this gem represents an excellent compromise, maintaining a high level of transparency and polish while retaining natural inclusion signatures that affirm its untreated provenance.

Reflective performance is a careful interplay between refractive index, facet design, and polish, and this alexandrite performs strongly in each area. Alexandrite as a chrysoberyl species has a relatively high refractive index for colored stones, which yields strong brilliance and crisp internal reflections when facets are proportioned correctly. Compared to sapphires, which often have a similar perceived brightness but can rely more on high dispersion and deep saturation for visual impact, this alexandrite creates an effect driven by spectral selectivity rather than by high fire. Compared to emeralds, which frequently display a softer, oilier luster due to dense inclusions and lower transparency, this alexandrite reads as brighter and more scintillating. Compared to garnets that can exhibit high luster but lack the dynamic color change, this alexandrite offers a uniquely interactive viewing experience, shifting dominance between greenish and purplish wavelengths without significant loss of brightness, due to the cutter emphasis on balanced pavilion angles and the excellent polish that preserves mirror like facet surfaces.

Provenance and treatment information are essential to discerning buyers, and this piece is natural, untreated, and sourced from Brazil, a locality recognized for producing alexandrite material with vibrant cool to warm color change and good clarity. The excellent polish and careful facet symmetry indicate expert lapidary work intended to showcase the inherent qualities of the rough, rather than to mask them through filling or coating. The stone hardness and toughness typical of chrysoberyl varieties make it suitable for everyday jewelry, and the size and pear shape make it a versatile choice for solitaire pendants or for an elegant ring design where the color change can be displayed to advantage. For collectors and connoisseurs seeking a vivid, responsibly sourced alexandrite with strong metameric contrast and superior craftsmanship, this gem from The Natural Gemstone Company represents a technically refined example of what Brazilian alexandrite can deliver.