Chameleon Stones

Did you know that some gems can change colors? And not in a “oh it looks a little pink-er in this light” way, but in a once was red, now is GREEN kind of way. Wild, right? The most exciting of these transformations happens in a stone called Alexandrite, which was originally discovered in Russia and named for the Tsar Alexander II. Legend has it that the gem was discovered in what had recently been opened as an emerald mine, and since it was green it was logically presumed to be an emerald as well. When the gentleman pulled it out of his pocket later that evening in the pub to show it off, you can imagine his surprise when the gem in his hand shown purplish red in the candlelight!

Daylight on the left, incandescent light on the right.
Image courtesy of http://www.palagems.com

There are a few other varieties of stones that also will shift their hue depending on the lighting, including garnets and sapphires.

GARNET
Daylight on the left, incandescent light on the right.
Photo courtesy of http://www.multicolour.com

SAPPHIRE
Daylight left, incandescent right
Photo courtesy of http://www.multicolour.com

Aside from being super-cool from a gemological standpoint, these kinds of stones are not always big sellers, as they are often viewed in mixed lighting which can produce a muddied version of both colors combined. Some people are really into that kind of thing (this girl), while others are kind of confused by its aesthetic purpose.

Last but not least, I will introduce you to one more little stone that has always had a big place in my heart. While it is not technically considered in the ‘color changing’ category, it does exhibit completely different hues depending on which axis you are viewing at any given time in any light. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce Andalusite:

ANDALUSITE
Photo courtesy of twistedphysics.typepad.com

I have yet to find an image to accurately represent the different viewing angles, but depending on the axis, this stone can look dark red, yellowish orange, or olive green. A talented cutter will facet the stone in a manner that allows all three colors to dance around, as seen in the stone above. Kind of cool, huh?