The most valuable alexandrite is natural, usually mined is Russia, and has perfect clarity, ideal cut, large size (over 1 carat), and most importantly, has a dramatic 100% color change from a bright rich green to a bright saturated magenta-red.
Here are some examples of NATURAL alexandrite gemstones and their different values
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Lower Value: This alexandrite gemstone is small (about .10 carat), they have poor clarity, and worst of all, their colors are not bright, but greyish. The best thing about this stone is the relatively strong color change. | Medium Value: This alexandrite is large (1 ct.) and it has relatively good clarity and an okay cut. Its biggest detractor is the color: though it is bright, the change is from blue to purple – the two colors are not very different from each other. | High Value: Here is an alexandrite gemstone that is about half the size as the previous stone and has poorer clarity, but the color change is more dramatic, making it more valuable. | Highest Value: Most people will go their whole lives without ever seeing an alexandrite like this. It is about 3 carats, well cut, perfect clarity, with a dramatic and total color change from bright green to bright magenta. |