World's Top 5 Alexandrite Origin Countries



Alexandrites are considered one of the rarest gemstones in the world. These unusual stones exhibit a hardness of 8.5 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness making them one of the most durable gemstones that can be used routinely in any form of jewelry.
Alexandrite Gemstones in the World Map

Alexandrites were originally discovered in the Ural Mountains in Russia, but have since been found in many different parts of the world. Below are the top 5 sources where Alexandrites are currently mined from:

  1. Russia
  2. Sri Lanka
  3. Brazil
  4. India
  5. Africa

Let's take a deep dive and learn more about these countries and the origin of alexandrites.

Russia

Alexandrites from Russia continue to be the best source for the highest quality gems and best color change. Few important deposits within Russia include Mariinskoye, Cheremshanskoye, Sretenskoye, and Krasnobolotnoye, which is the place where the largest and most splendid Russian alexandrites were found in 1839. (source: Gia.edu)

Russian Alexandrites

The alexandrites from Russia are of the finest quality and exhibits bluish-green color in daylight and rich purplish-red color in incandescent light.

Sri Lanka

Ceylon or Sri Lanka is a rich source for a variety of gemstones, including sapphires, rubies, spinel, and alexandrites. There are many Sri Lankan towns that are famous for originating renowned gemstones, including localities such as Ratnapura district in Sabaragamuwa Province, Elahera in Central Province, Okkampitiya in Uva Province, and the Kataragama area in Southern Province. The chrysoberyl occurrences are more frequently found in and around Morawaka and Deniyaya in Southern Province. (source: Gia.edu)

Ceylon Alexandrites

Ceylon Alexandrites are known to display color change that tends to be greenish yellow to brown color change. This color change is very different from what is found in Russian and Brazilian alexandrites.

Brazil

Minas Gerais in Brazil is known to have deposits of various types of gemstones. In 1980’s, the Russian mines started to deplete. During that time, the Pegmatite district in Minas Gerais was discovered and quickly became one of the world’s major suppliers of high quality alexandrites.

Brazilian Alexandrite

Brazilian alexandrites have a distinct color change that is often compared to the finest Russian alexandrites, but with higher clarity and larger sizes.

India

Alexandrites are mined in 5 cities in India - Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. The highest quality alexandrites are typically found in Odisha.

Indian Alexandrite

Indian alexandrites tend to change from a nice bluish green to lighter purple color. They also exhibit strong color changes in the finer quality.

Africa

Africa is the mother of numerous gemstones - from Diamonds to Tanzanites to even Alexandrites. Major deposits of these chameleon gemstones are found in Tanzania, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe

African gems are found in larger sizes but tend to exhibit a yellowish-green to brown color change, similar to their Ceylon counterparts. For anyone looking for 5ct+ Alexandrites at a reasonable price point should be looking at African gems.

These 5 countries in the world provide us with the finest quality alexandrites. GemsNY is the perfect place to grab a piece of your favourite gemstone. Although we do not recommend for you to buy the products looking at the origins on it, as all the places produce a mixed quality of alexandrites. To make your finest piece of alexandrite gemstone jewelry click here.

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