What hardness is alexandrite?

With a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale, alexandrite is softer than sapphire and harder than garnet-the other gemstones that can change color. However, due to its scarcity, alexandrite is more valuable than most gemstones, including rubies and diamonds.

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Subsequently, how rare are alexandrite stones?

How Rare Is Alexandrite? Natural alexandrite is rarer than diamonds and more costly than emerald, ruby, and sapphire. Any alexandrite more than three carats is highly uncommon. Smaller stones are more readily available to commercial jewelers. In respect to this, how much is a 1 carat alexandrite worth? Size always affects alexandrite value. You can see this reflected in our Price Guide below. In sizes up to one carat, top-quality natural gems can sell for up to $15,000 per carat. Over one carat, the prices range from $50,000 to $70,000 per carat!

One may also ask what metal looks best with alexandrite?

White gold (or white metals such as palladium or platinum) gives a modern look to alexandrite. Ensure that the metal of the setting is hard enough to hold the alexandrite ? we recommend gold, platinum, or palladium. Does alexandrite scratch easily? Gemology has determined that alexandrite is in the chrysoberyl family of gems. Any gem harder than 7 will be difficult to scratch, but any jewel softer than 7 will scratch easily because dust itself can scratch it. With some antiques, scratches are actually used to help date them, but not with alexandrite.

Can alexandrite be heated?

Alexandrite cannot be improved by any kind of thermal treatment. Although some have tried, heat treatment does not seem to affect alexandrite at all. Some lower quality cracked alexandrites are oiled to hide the cracks but beyond that, alexandrite is not known to be treated in any way. Correspondingly, what is the rarest alexandrite? The most valuable alexandrite in existence weighs 65.08 carats and has an estimated value of over $4 million. The Smithsonian Institute owns this incredibly rare ? and expensive ? gemstone. This stone was found in Sri Lanka.