Old Ring... Genuine Alexandrite??

by Liz
(Elmwood Park, IL )

Possible Alexandrite Ring?

Possible Alexandrite Ring?

Hi, I have a very old ring that is 14k gold and the stone changes colors when in natural light and indoor lighting. I've only really seen 2 colors: a teal/blue (maybe) and a purple. Someone told me it might be a genuine alexandrite. The ring is beautiful and I would love to know more about it. The stone is about 3-carats.

I'd cannot wear it because it extends out so much so I'm wondering about changing the setting but I don't want to make a big mistake... any info would be so appreciated!

Thanks!



Hi Liz,

At Everything Wedding Rings I receive a lot of questions about whether a ring is possibly a genuine alexandrite or not.

As with most gemstones, the only way to truly know if you have a real alexandrite ring is to have the ring assessed by a certified gemologist. However, because alexandrite is so rare and so highly valuable it is unlikely that most of these rings contain true alexandrite - especially rings that are made with high carat sized gemstones.

You most likely have a color change chrysoberyl gemstone or a synthetic gemstone. A real alexandrite ring of this size would literally be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars - and rings of this value are unlikely to fall into estate sales, antique malls and such.

Synthetic alexandrite has been produced since the 1960s so even if the ring is a vintage ring it could be a synthetic. But I suspect what you have is a color change chrysoberyl or a synthetically produced gemstone of some kind.

I hope this information helps to yield some clues about your ring, unfortunately it is highly doubtful that it is a real alexandrite gemstone.

Suzanne Gardner
Everything Wedding Rings

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by: Emily M

I have a large stone just like this but mine is set in a low kt gold..like 9kt they told me?? A very slim band and minimal. Never even heard of 9.. But it's got the large stone just like this.. Mine is typically the greenish teal color and can get the purple color also.. Mine is really old also. This purple is beautiful!! I love the color!! Would you be interested in selling by any chance? is that ok to ask on here? I know an odd question on here but that color is so beautiful!!
I sent a question about mine in here several years ago..don't really remember getting a response but I keep hearing the same thing.. It's too large to be real.. And none the jewelry stores here can tell me anything about it other than its cool looking..lol mine came from a family in the UK(that's where I got it..).
Thanks!:)
Emily

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Hi Emily,

EWR does not sell personal rings through the website, as with the other comments and questions unfortunately the only way to know if your ring is genuine is to have the ring assessed by a certified gemologist. Alexandrite is one of the rarest and most valuable gemstones in the world and large alexandrite gemstones are even rarer and most often only found in museums and private collections, however there are a variety of color change gemstones and synthetics that have been around for a long time so even if the ring is a vintage or antique ring chances are you have a synthetic or color change gemstone.

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