Where to find Alexandrite in the Boston area?

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

My four year old really wants to see some Alexandrite. (It's a cool gem, a variant of chrysoberyl that changes color.) We've checked the Museum of Science and the Harvard Museum of Natural History  (though, to be fair, we've been unable to find anyone who works in the applicable departments at HMNH to make sure we haven't missed it in their huge collection). We've also called the reference librarians at Tufts, Somerville, and BPL and been unable to get an answer. 

I was wondering if your collective wisdom could help a tired mom out? I'm not dedicated to a museum -- if there's a weird gemologist who is willing to let a four year old gawk at an incredibly rare and expensive gem without hope of purchase, we'd take that (and be willing to bribe, I mean compensate him or her with cookies....)

Thanks. 
 

Comments

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

jewelry store.

or a rock shop, like the one in Fanueil Hall area?

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[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

I work next door to Fanueil Hall, and I love Alexandrite. They don't have any.

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

Yep, I was going to suggest the mineral and gem store in Fanuiel Hall has well. You should call to make sure they have it tho.

Happy mother's day!

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

maybe call these folks?

http://www.gemsboston.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=contact_us

happy mother's day :)

[findingthegirl.livejournal.com]

I can ask my Dad. He belongs to several rock and mineral clubs in the area and also volunteers upon occasion at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

That would be awesome! THANKS!

We've also sent an email to Geoclassics (in Fanueil Hall) which I had totally forgotten about. I'm not sure that Boston Gem, which seems to be a much more serious (read: expensive) gems tore would let my four year old gawk at the Alexandrite. It's a very very expensive gem, apparently. (Other little girls want plastic beads!)

[findingthegirl.livejournal.com]

I sent him an email. He's at work right now, but should be home later tonight or tomorrow. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't know of a place where you'd be able to see it. :)

[findingthegirl.livejournal.com]

Hi again! My Dad wrote back and this was his response. Unfortunately it's not very helpful in terms of what you're looking for, but maybe the websites he linked to can provide some interesting information.

"I doubt that there are going to be many places you can see alexandrite up close in either its' natural state or as a cut gem. It is so rare and expensive that it is often substituted with other minerals with made-up names. It is actually a variation of a mineral called chrysoberyl.
I would recommend Googling alexandrite as there are many sites for information. One site for mineral info is www.mindat.org. Another site for mineral and gem info is www.palagems.com where you can look at a section about alexandrite and other gems that change color in different types of light.
If this child is just fascinated with the idea of a mineral changing color then I would recommend the mother finding info on fluorescent minerals which can be researched and seen in many more places than one of the most expensive gemstones on Earth. I'm thinking that going into any museum or jewelry store to ask to see alexandrites up close would be like asking The Tower of London permission to try on some of the Queen's Royal gemstones. It ain't gonna happen."

If the Harvard Museum does have alexandrite, you probably won't be able to get close enough to see the changes in color. If you do go though, I'd see if you could talk to one of the volunteers and ask them about it. They go through a pretty vigorous training process and many of them are very knowledgeable amateur geologists themselves.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i checked ebay -- it's not really very expensive, you can get beads and little bits (but which still change color!) for five or ten bucks. if all else fails, i might be talked into buying you and your kid one in exchange for cookies :)

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=190394453300&Category=10190&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2

(looks like it'll go in about an hour for eleven bucks.)

The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Does not have it? I'd be surprised... Actually, the name sounds familiar, but the last time I checked that out was more than a year ago....

Re: The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

As I said, I don't know that they don't have it. I looked around and didn't see it, but they have a huge collection and I couldn't corner someone to get a definitive answer. I have an email in, but four year olds do not understand the vagaries of spring vacations and whatnot,

Re: The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Maybe the Museum of Science?

Re: The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

....did you not even read the post? She says she went there, and they did not have any.

Re: The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Actually, amazingly enough, I did read the post! That's how I knew there was something to respond to! Crazy, huh?

I did manage to miss that, though. These things do happen once in a while.

Re: The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[siderea]

Ah. When trying to get an expert to discuss a museum collection, showing up in person is usually least effective. In my experience (with other museums, admittedly), calling during business hours and asking to speak to a whateverologist works great. (In your case, a mineralogist.) They're usually thrilled to talk to people with an interest in their work, and are happy for an occasion to feel helpful.

P.S. If you do get a mineralogist on the phone, and they tell you they don't have any of what you're looking for to hand, don't be shy about asking for pointers of where to check next. Academic professionals are really well networked.

Re: The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[benign-cremator.livejournal.com]

They have it, there is a glass top cabinet that has a few pieces, but do not remember which one. It would take awhile to find it. But it is there.

Unfortunately, the people working there would not know where, unless you are lucky enough to find one of the mineralogists that occasionally wander through. The people that are there every day mostly work the gift shop and admissions counter.

Re: The Harvard Museum of Natural History

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you so much! Just saw this post and we'll go check that out ASAP. Maybe I'll take the advice above and call tomorrow during work hours to get more specific info.

Thank you!

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

Years ago, I happened upon one in a store in central Mass. Extraordinary--a slightly brownish dark pink in one light, a yellowish green in another. The jeweler told me that when the Soviet Union--the primary source for alexandrites--fell, it became VERY difficult (if not impossible) to get genuine alexandrites out of the country. A flawless one carat one would go for about a million bucks, IIRC. The borders may have opened up since then, or other sources

Many places might carry a manufactured one, but the real one is tough to find. Whomever you contact, be sure to ask if it's manufactured or au natural. They'll both change colors, but the natural one is much more impressive. Let me poke around and see if I can find out anything useful.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

This is what I was going to say too. I love Alexandrites (they're the June birthstone, and I prefer them to any other stone). Genuine Alexandrite are, sadly, incredibly hard to find, and when you do find them, they are more expensive, carat for carat, than diamonds. Even the so-called "cheap" Alexandrites you find in Mexico are hugely expensive (100s of dollars for a quarter carat stone). Synthetic/lab-created Alexandrites are much easier to find and far more affordable, and they do still change colour.

I know it's not the same thing. However, I'm not sure that an Alexandrite in a museum would be that impressive. I have seen them in museums (unfortunately, it was the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco), but they were small crystals imbedded in rock and there was no real way to see the colour change.

I have to say, though, that I find it adorable that your 4-year-old loves Alexandrites.

[ron_newman]

Just curious -- how does your 4-year-old know about alexandrite? (I had not heard of it before reading your post.)

[squirrelitude]

Self-motivated learner, I'm guessing. I was like that too. (Still am.)

[logt.livejournal.com]

I have a cultured rather tiny Alexandrite in a small piece of jewelry. The cultured ones are not expensive, you can also find them on eBay pretty cheap. I could let your 4 year old play with it, if you can guarantee that nothing happens to it (it's inexpensive but has a great sentimental value for me).

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's extraordinarily generous, but no thank you. I can make no guarantees and wouldn't want to chance it. I'll buy something cheapo and let her play with it whenever she wants -- and break it, too. Thank you again, though, that was so kind!

Thank you, all!

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

This is such a trove of information -- I knew the DSLJ would have something but this is excellent. I'll keep poking around and see if I can't convince some mad jeweler to let us see a real piece up close, but I think that the 4 year old may be satisfied by the color-change properties of some cheap/synthetic substitute.

As for how does a four year old get interested? Well, I'll tell you that her other favorite topic is early hominid evolution -- she gets very heated about the classification of Turkana Boy as homo ergaster (NOT homo erectus -- she feels very strongly on the issue). How she got interested in that? She saw a billboard preaching against evolution in Conn. and asked us what it was about and we explained (in very very brief) the concept of evolution. That was 18 months ago -- she's been obsessed ever since. (Her favorite TV shows are Nova's "What Darwin Never Knew", "Alien from Earth", and "Becoming Human." Better than Dora, I'll tell you that.)

I *think* the Alexandrite came up because she wanted to learn more about rocks and minerals when we explained about fossils. So we got her a book on rocks and minerals. It mentioned Alexandrite. She thought the concept of rocks changing color was cool and got interested.

For your efforts, I will be at the Davis Sq. Starbucks on Saturday morning at 9 am with cookies for everyone!

Re: Thank you, all!

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

the synthetic ones differ in that they were lab-made, but that might be at least as neat to a four-year-old kid as a geological process. i know it is to me as a forty-some adult :)

i'm sorry i missed meeting you on saturday, but i just wanted to say, you and your daughter sound awesome. hope she got to see the stone of her dreams!