Victorian Alexandrite and Diamond Ring

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Victorian three stone ring set with an oval Ceylon alexandrite and two old European cut diamonds, set in a carved gold mount.

Alexandrite is a rare, color-changing form of chrysoberyl. Depending on the light source, the stone changes color, ranging from green to red. Discovered in the emerald mines of Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1830, the stone was named after the young Alexander II, as it was discovered on the future czar’s twelfth birthday. The stone’s colors coincidentally matched the colors of the Russian Imperial Guard, and so it became the national stone of Imperial Russia. Natural alexandrite is quite rare. Primarily found in Russia, deposits were also later found in Sri Lanka and Brazil.

English, ca. 1890.

$38,000