Chrysoberyl var: Alexandrite

Item Description

Alexandrite is the color-changing variety of the mineral Chrysoberyl, first discovered in Russia and later in several other world localities. The specimens from the Novello Mine in Zimbabwe are some of the better-known contemporary examples and are often found in textbook "sixling" (more correctly "trilling") twins. This piece is a fantastic example of said material, as it's complete on the front with no damage, but contacted on the back where it was separated from the pocket wall. I love the fact that the faces on the front are sharp, well-formed and not "distorted" like many I've seen from this locality. While the crystal is not gem quality per se, it's does pass light when strongly backlit, and the color change is noteworthy as it will show a dark reddish-purple hue under warm halogen lighting, and a gorgeous bluish-green color in bright sunlight. These are highly desirable examples of this famed material, most often found in thumbnail sized examples, so you'll see them in many thumbnail collections around the world. I would put a retail price of about $2,500 on this one if I had it on the shelf for sale at a show. From the collection of Vasco Trancoso, a medical doctor and prominent mineral collector from near Lisbon, Portugal (https://www.mindat.org/user-11954.html). He assembled his mineral collection over the course of 60 years, and built a fine worldwide display collection that we recently purchased. This piece is pictured on mindat.org at https://www.mindat.org/photo-187382.html