Alexandrite is a stone with a lot of mystique. Rare and expensive, this gemstone changes color from greens or blues to purples, magentas, and reds based not on the angle of the light, but the actual light temperature itself. It is the lesser-known June birthstone, and difficult to find in sizes over one carat weight. The stone was originally found in Russia, and named after the Czar Alexander, as the royalty found its green-to-red color change to match their own house colors. While there are other color-changing stones out there (Andalusite is another color-change chrysoberyl), I find that none are as mesmerizing as alexandrite.

I wanted to start out, not with jewelry, but with this great snapshot from that really shows off the color change in these stones:



Here we have a gorgeous ring with three (!) sumptuous alexandrites from



Next is a pendant with a fantastic design by - look closely for the alexandrite accents:



Peacocks and alexandrite? Yes please! By :



A lab-grown stone in a funky setting by :



Alexandrites serve as accents for an amazing opal pendant by :



And finally, alexandrite shines as the centerpiece in this lovely beaded necklace by :



I'd love to feature more, but that's how rare this stone is - even on deviantART it's hard to find!