Gemstones

Colour Change Alexandrite:
The Chameleon Gem

AS FEATURED IN THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW MAGAZINE

Is it red? Or is it blue? Wait… no… is it purple?

Don’t worry, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. It’s all three! 

This handmade 18ct white gold, diamond and Natural Chrysoberyl Alexandrite ring displays remarkable colour changing properties, morphing from emerald green to ruby red depending on the light it is observed under.

Weighing 4.21ct, the centrepiece, cushion-shaped natural Alexandrite was the largest available Alexandrite stone in the world at the time of purchase. It was sourced directly from a mine in Brazil, handcrafted for a special Matthew Ely client with an affinity for this spectacular gemstone. This client’s mother had gifted her an Alexandrite when she was a young girl, leaving her in awe of this unique chameleon gem.

With its colour-change properties, Alexandrite is often described as “emerald by day, ruby by night”.


Originally discovered in Russia in the 1830s, Alexandrite is now found in Sri Lanka, East Africa and Brazil, although is still incredibly valuable and rare.

The largest Alexandrite ever found was a 65.7ct stone from Sri Lanka, which currently resides at the Smithsonian Institution, while the largest Alexandrite from the Ural Mountains weighs about 30ct.

Alexandrite is a birthstone of June and traditionally given for the 55th wedding anniversary.

Alongside the centrepiece gem (measuring 10.61mm x 8.98mm x 4.96mm), this custom made Alexandrite ring contains an additional 36 diamonds – 20 graduated French cut tapered diamonds (a challenging diamond commission!), and 16 graduated Trapezoid step cut diamonds. It took more than 50 hours to carefully place and set each diamond in the final piece! The total diamond weight is 4.88ct.


Is it red? Is it blue? Wait… is it purple? Don’t worry, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. This custom made 4.21ct Natural Chrysoberyl Alexandrite ring has remarkable colour change properties!

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