Weddingbee boards

I have one but it is synthetic. The natural occuring ones are rare and expensive. I thik it would be a realy great stone for an engagement ring. sometimes yoou can find them in estate jewelry. Here are some prices for unset stones. I do not know anything about this dealer, just offering as a reference http://www.alexandrite.net/gemstones/natural-alexandrite-round-1-19-faceted_yax508aa/5157/10/0

I have a ring and earrings set that has natural alexandrite in it. I inherrited it from my grandma who, in turn inherrited it from her mom (my mom doesn't wear earrings and the ring doesn't fit her so we skipped a generation!). The set is very simple - pretty much studs for the earrings but on a lever back and a solitare ring. It's an antique from imperial russia. The stones aren't huge - maybe a carrat each. The set was appraised at something around $35000 (yes... that's 5 figures). I'm sorry I don't have pictures, the set is in a safety deposit box.

To answer your questions:

1. See above. :)

2. There are a few websites that are reputable (I'll find some for you later today). Another option is to go to a local jeweler and ask him/her to find a suitable stone for you. A third option still is to go to a Gem show - you're not guaranteed that they'll have anything but at least you'll get to meet a bunch of reputable jewelers who may be able to do something for you.

3. It's certainly a pretty stone and mine has withstood the test of time. It's from the same family of stones as  Sapphires (barryls) so it will be about the same hardness. It is a bit "tough" to work with from a jeweler standpoint because high heat will damage the ston'e color changing ability (which is why we can never really get the ring I have reset or resized). So, as long as you're getting a solitareish stone from a jeweler who knows how to work with alexandrites, you should be fine.

4. See above for my appraisal. Also, the stones I have are not the greatest quality - the one in the ring has a minor inclusion in it that's visible to the naked eye and the color change isn't as dramatic as some other stones. The real deal is VERY expensive because they are pretty rare. In fact, carat for carat of comparable quality, they are more expensive than diamonds.

Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps!

The stones are extremely rare and the starting price for a one carat stone with a really good color change starts around 1000 and can go up to 10,000 or more.  You can find some that are a little cheaper than 1000 that will have around a 50-70% color change, so they will be lighter.  I talked to someone at a jewelry store before and they said that lab created is just as good and many people actually prefer them because they are a little cheaper.  My boyfriend got REALLY lucky when he found mine.  I will post pictures when I get it.

@BackyardLoveBird: hehe, I hope you do!  I told my boyfriend that alexandrite is the only thing I would be willing to pay tons of money for.

It is a trully amazing stone... :)

Here is a picture of my alexandrite.  It doesn't really show the color when you take pictures, but its gorgeous in person!  The stone is green, but the picture showed me differently.

I have a loose natural cats eye alexandrite, but the color isn't great I'm afraid. It changes from muddy green to muddy pink. It's so hard to find a really great alexandrite that ticks all the boxes, and you will pay a pretty penny for it if you do find one.