In September, we featured a notice regarding the impending publication
of Russian Alexandrites by Karl Schmetzer (with contributions from
George Bosshart, Marina Epelboym, Lore Kiefert and Anna-Kathrin
Malsy). For this edition of our newsletter we thought a scholar's
perspective on the volume might be interesting, so we approached
Lisbet Thoresen, whose own work on gemstones, especially their
historical background—discovery, naming and use—are prominent topics
in this book.
The book is available from the publisher. It also is available at
Tucson from Antoinette Matlins. See her here:
* AGA Conference, February 2, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Tucson
* Marriott University Park Hotel AGA Gala, February 2, 6:30–11:00
* p.m., Tucson Marriott University Park Hotel Quantum Leap, booth
* #30, in the Galleria at the AGTA GemFair, Tucson Convention
* Center
The history of alexandrite has been shrouded in mystery and
obfuscation since its discovery in the Urals, Russia, in 1833. Despite
its commercial value and desirability as a rare collector gemstone,
mineralogical studies on this color-change variety of chrysoberyl,
especially the Russian material, have been limited until recently. In
2010, Dr. Karl Schmetzer produced a comprehensive and authoritative
book on this subject entitled Russian Alexandrites. For the first
time, this book reconstructs an accurate history of the gemstone
through original letters and reports translated from Russian, French,
Swedish and German, as well as historical photographs obtained from
obscure archives. This book also provides an insight into the study of
minerals of the 1830s to 1850s, when mineralogy was just beginning to
become a science.
Marina Epelboym and Karl Schmetzer frame the story first by describing
the geological setting in which chrysoberyl and alexandrite (and also
phenakite) were discovered—as associated minerals in the emerald
bearing zones of the Izumrudnye Kopi belt, or Tokovaya area, northwest
of Ekaterinburg, which, after Colombian sources, are the most
commercially significant historical emerald deposits in the
world. Always regarded as a secondary mineral to emerald, Schmetzer
estimates the ratio of emerald to alexandrite ranges between 100:1 and
200:1. Because the primary mining interests focused on emeralds, the
history and development of the Russian mines where alexandrites were
first discovered inextricably interweaves the story of alexandrite
with that of some of the most important emerald specimens ever
found. This aspect of alexandrite’s history is taken up in the book’s
next chapter by Schmetzer.
The principal author provides a fluid narrative relating the history
of the famous emeralds recovered from the Tokovaya area and their
passage through the hands of illustrious collectors and museums,
including the Kokovin emerald, a 400 gram emerald that was lost or
stolen in 1835; the Leuchtenberg emerald druse, a group of 20 crystals
en matrix found in 1831 and weighing 6265 grams (first published by
von Pott in 1842); the Kochubei emerald, found in 1831 at the
Sretensky Mine and weighing an astounding 2226 grams. Among the
alexandrite finds, the most important ones were all discovered prior
to 1840, and pre-eminent among them is a crystal group known as
Kochubei’s druse (pictured below). Also in this same chapter,
Schmetzer chronicles the discovery, naming and uses of Russian
alexandrite in the 19th century. Named in 1842 in honor of the
Tsarevich, the future Tsar Alexander II of Russia (r.1855–81), the
author also presents the correspondence, publications, photographs and
drawings that establish an accurate timeline and context concerning
alexandrite’s early history.
In 2005, the Tsar Emerald Corporation, a Canadian company, secured
licensing agreements to operate the Malysheva Mine, one of the seven
principal mining sites which were discovered prior to 1840. In 2007,
Dr. Schmetzer and Dr. Lore Kiefert were able to visit the mine and
perform the first mineralogical studies on specimens that had been
unearthed after 2000 from the Malysheva Mine. As volume editor and
principal author of Russian Alexandrites, Schmetzer has drawn together
data gathered on alexandrites and yellowish green to yellow green
chrysoberyls in various collections, both private and public, in
Russia, Germany, Austria and Great Britain—covering material from a
time period spanning more than 175 years. Gemological, mineralogical,
morphological and colorimetric data are presented in separate
chapters, each detailed and copiously illustrated with color plates,
photomicrographs, spectra, schematic diagrams, plots and charts.
Chapter 6 presents gemological and mineralogical studies performed by
Schmetzer and Kiefert, which employed analytical tools, including
electron microprobe, SEM-EDX, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence
(EDXRF) and micro-Raman spectroscopy in order to obtain quantitative
data and corroborative identification of inclusions. Numerous
photomicrographs complement the discussion of alexandrite’s
inclusions, distinctive growth structure and twinning.
Beginning with a discussion of the early work of mineralogists on the
recent finds from the Central Urals, in Chapter 5, Schmetzer presents
an in-depth examination of the morphology and twinning in chrysoberyl
and especially alexandrite, elaborating in detail the distinctive
habit of single crystals, single contact twins and cyclic twins or
trillings. Numerous drawings by the author and photographs of
historical specimens illustrate the discussion on the morphological
variations of crystals originating from the Tokovaya area.
Chapter 7 is devoted to an investigation into the nature of chatoyancy
in alexandrites and chrysoberyls from different gem-producing regions
of the world, as well as the rare phenomenon of asterism in
chrysoberyl from Sri Lanka—a subject that has received scant attention
previously. Chapter 8 compares the growth patterns of natural
alexandrite and its synthetic counterpart. The last chapter, authored
by Anna-Kathrin Malsy, discusses origin determination and the use of
several analytical tools, primarily laser ablation inductively coupled
plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain trace element chemistry
in specimens from Russia; Hematita, Brazil; India; Sri Lanka; and Lake
Manyara, Tanzania. Operating conditions and data acquired are
described and characteristic features useful for making separations
are discussed. This chapter, featuring ternary diagrams and plots, is
a useful benchmark for future studies on chrysoberyls and alexandrites
from other localities.
This volume aims to be a handy reference as much as it aims and
succeeds at being a meticulously detailed and comprehensive work on
Russian alexandrite: the Appendices and Timetable feature tables on
primary mining localities, physical data on alexandrite and green
chrysoberyls, English-German transcription of significant names and
milestone events. The achievement of this book is not only its
exhaustive treatment of the subject, unprecedented for the scope and
detail presented, but also its historicity. It is a fascinating
chronicle of alexandrite’s Russian origin and labyrinthine odyssey
through time—a painstakingly researched story replete with intrigue,
tragedy and epochal sweep worthy of translation to motion
pictures. Such a rare and special gemstone deserves no less than the
able and thorough treatment it receives in this book.
Lisbet Thoresen
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