Synthetic Alexandrite (Lab Grown/Lab Created) Rough

After waiting another 6 years for a new pull from a lab in the United States, two smaller pulls weighing 1.6kilos and 1.2kilos have been purchased by All That Glitters. We have been told that this material, as well as other lab grown crystals such as Chromium YAG and CTH (Chromium, Thulium and Holmium) YAG which we were fortunate enough to obtain some samples and are available for sale (see our other Rough Listings Page), will no longer be offered in the future when these Czochralski Pulls do not meet the strict criteria for Laser Rod Production. Therefore, this could be the last of the Lab Grown Material we obtain from our previous source - and we have no other source for this material.

This is wonderful material to even test out a new cutting design. We like it better than using clear quartz or very inexpensive material, as when the gem/design is complete, it has a good value so one can recoup his time in cutting - unlike having a nice flashy piece of clear quartz...

US Lab Grown Created Synthetic Alexandrite for
Laser Rod Applications (Medical Applications) - Czochralski Pull Method

New 2023 Pulls - Pull #1 of 2 Pulls Purchased!

We have received two pulls, US Grown, in June 2023. One weighs 1.2+kilos and the larger one weighs 1.6+kilos. We have sliced the 1.2+kilo piece into two pieces, one weighing 500+grams and the other one weighing 600+grams. In slicing the 1.2+kilo piece and then trimming it, there is a large loss even though we are using relatively thin diamond blades - the loss is equalivent to approx $1200 in rough cost. This represents one cut through the pull to create two pieces noted above, and then about seven cuts to create smaller more facet friendly sizes/weights. The trimming of this 1.2+kilo piece produced 10 pieces of rough; the smallest one will be faceted and shown here as a current example of the faceted material. The photos above show the 1.2+kilo piece as purchased, on a Sartorius scale as well as on a light box; also, an image of the slice with marks showing what we had hoped to make in cuts, but trimming with the available equipment is far from accurate and though we made the number of cuts we desired, following of the lines as drawn was not accurate.

We have received notice that the lab producing this Lab Grown Alexandrite and recently purchased Chromium YAG and CTH YAG, will not longer sell this material. If this is true, these are the last pieces of Lab Alexandrite and YAG from this source. Anything new in this material will be found entirely by accident.

Purchases may be returned within 7 Days if only a window/side is polished so one can see inside. Refund will be the cost of rough less the cost of shipping/insurance and any purchase application fees.

Customer Comment on Our Lab Grown/Synthetic Alexandrite Rough: I finished the first piece of Alex you sold me in late May. It is from the 43.65 gram slice. I cut off the long end then cut it in three... I took every precaution I could to make a beautiful cut. I succeeded.....beyond my wildest dreams! The material was very forgiving to work with. The colors are beyond what my phone-cam can capture. And the fire....woah! Deep full colors, not too dark, and mesmerizing. I selected a Jim Perkins cut called Big Top Circus Tent, and modified it by flattening out the table. It's angles were for an R.I. of 1.72, so I figured I was close enough to get the lots of light out of it. It's right in at 12 millimeters round, just shy of seven carats. I took it to three jewelry stores here in (-city name removed-). Every last one of them exclaimed how good it looked. I mounted it last night. The wife is in love with it. But she said "sell it, and make more!" :-) Thank you so much!

In photos of all slices of a pull, one can see that the very center has a area that is totally clean, and should facet an elongate oval gemstone. This partiular slice is thick and probably two ovals could be obtained. Around this clear area, there is an area that contains some inclusions and these areas could be use for perhaps cabochons - which would be unique as most of this material is typically faceted. The remainder of the slice is clean. John Koivula (of GIA and AGTA Lab Fame and author of books on Gemstone Inclusionss, has looked at these inclusions and had the following to say - "Thanks for letting me know that the Czochralski rod was grown in the US. Since Czochralski pulling from a melt is generally the same no matter where it is done it is not too surprising that similar inclusions could be founds in rods produced by different growers." John now has a sample of our material in his collection. You can learn more about John's interest in inclusions, whether natural or lab grown, in his multi-volumed "Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones". Also note that a wholesaler and cutter in the Mid-West has purchased a few slices of this material, and with his cutting, he sells the finished gemstones for between $100/ct-$150/ct depending on whether the client is a dealer or retail customer, and the design, etc. This seems to the be norm for this rough when faceted - a well known supplier of castings and gemstones to the trade, shows the Retail price per carat of Lab Grown/Synthetic Alexadrite is $495/ct.

For those whom have not purchased this material previously, you will find a great deal of information on the material, interesting facts, comments from cutters, photos of faceted material, descriptions of color change, etc. as you scroll down past the rough for sale.

Slice #1 of 1.2kg Pull (2023) Available Pieces from 600+gr Trimmed Slice Note - Thicknesss is approx 19mm and pieces could be cut in half

79.28 grams (Slice #1 - from 600+gr):   $1427

82.04 grams (Slice #1 - from 600+gr):   $1477

94.62 grams (Slice #1 - from 600+gr):   $1609

Slice #2 of 1.2kg Pull (2023) Available Pieces from 500+gr Trimmed Slice (See Below) Note - Thicknesss is approx 17-18mmm and pieces could be cut in half

25.9grams CORE Clean area measures approx 12x9mm (Slice #2 - from 500+gr): SOLD!

27.7grams (Slice #2 - from 500+gr):   $499

44.7grams (Slice #2 - from 500+gr):   SOLD!

50.3grams (Slice #2 - from 500+gr):   $905

54.5grams (Slice #2 - from 500+gr):   SOLD!

104.3grams (Slice #2 - from 500+gr):   $1877

105.7grams (Slice #2 - from 500+gr):   $1797

Full Pull Weighing 1606.1grams! 2nd Pull of 2023 after a 6 Year Wait No Slice or Trimming Done - As Received from the Lab

Pull viewed on a light table.

Thought this would be interesting to share - the Lab Grown Alexandrite Pull infront of a computer screen, which acts as a polarizing filter. As it is rotated 90 degrees, you can see two distinct colors. Colors rendition is not correct when viewed on our office laptop.

Rough appearing below is after a slice of the 1.6kg pull was made and the smaller piece trimmed into various sized pieces. We sliced the pull along a different axis than previously done - allowing some more interesting play of color/flashes depending on orientation.

29.77grams (Pull 2A): Odd shape and smallest of the group - will do a test cut sometime in the future...

30.60grams (Pull 2A):   $551

37.33grams (Pull 2A):   $672

43.80grams (Pull 2A):   $788

44.21grams (Pull 2A):   $796

48.49grams (Pull 2A):   SOLD!

56.51grams (Pull 2A):   $1017

58.25grams (Pull 2A):   $1049

61.38grams (Pull 2A):   $1105

76.74grams (Pull 2A):   $1381

1049grams (Remainder of Pull #2 after first cut producing above pieces):   $14,162

Rough appearing below is from our 2017 Pull Few pieces remain...

SLICE #1 (2017 Rough) - SOLD OUT!

SLICE #2 (2017 Rough) - SOLD OUT!

SLICE #3 (2017 Rough) - SOLD OUT!

Slice #4 (2017 Rough) - SOLD OUT!

SLICE #5 (2017 Rough) - SOLD OUT!

Slice #6 (2017 Rough) (Approx 20.5-21mm Thick)

35.18grams (Slice #6):   $633

42.44grams (Slice #6):   $764

46.27grams (Slice #6):   $832

47.52grams (Slice #6):   $808 Note that a laser rod has been pulled from an area in the piece - so there is a hole present.

59.03grams (Slice #6):   $1,063

Slice #7 (2017 Rough) - SOLD!

591.9grams (Slice #7)

A full slice weighing over 591grams and approximately 18-21mm thick. A person with better equipment, who is good at viewing and trimming rough, should make fast work of the trimming process and obtain a good yield. If one is careful while trimming, making straight cuts across the entire slab or section (remember that the underneath is being undercut, so a full cut without stopping and changing direction insures the best use of the rough), one can perhaps get better than 80% yield when the inclusions around the core are trimmed out and many cuts are made through/around the existing holes from laser rods that were removed from the pull. The core itself typically has a small area that can be faceted. Our small trim saw is difficult to work with, the splash shield is broken, it does take some time to cut this material because it is hard, glasses fog up while trimming, and safety glasses get wet as does the cutter (soaked actually). We used a black marker to approximate the areas around the core that have to be removed. These can easily be removed with alcohol or acetone, and you can make your own marks for trimming. We are leaving a few slices untrimmed due to these reasons, and we have a decent amount of trimmed material for sale at the present time. The cost per gram is less for these untrimmed pieces based on the facts above. SOLD!

Slice #8 (2017 Rough) (Approx 16-17mm Thick)

45.1grams (Slice #8):   $812

There is a veil that is present and runs at an angle, but not through the piece. Since the inclusions are quite spread apart, don't see any issues in the brilliance, etc. when faceted, and a good deal of this could possible be cut out - but we have discounted this piece on a per gram basis.

All That Glitters Faceted Large 38.65ct Synthetic Alexandrite U.S. Lab Grown Genuine Syn Alex Laser Rod Material

A very large Synthetic Alexandrite in a fancy custom emerald shape, faceted by the owner of All That Glitters from All That Glitters rough. Gemstones custom faceted from this rough are typically priced at $100ct - a cutter in the mid-west familiar with this material, has faceted it and has sold it, thought that the price for a fine and/or large gem from this rough should be priced at $125/ct. The retail price on another U.S. grown lab Alexandrite is $495/ct; but that material is too dark to produce anything larger than a few carats. Gems larger than say about 7mm are too dark. The color change between the two different lab grown material is slightly different, as there are two different applications for the final product - jewelry vs. laser rod material for the cosmetic industry. The laser rod material can be faceted into gemstones as well, and as you can see, can produce some stunning results. (We have both types, with our material coming from Russia in one case and the company that produces the laser rod material is within the United States.) The color of this particular gemstone can be described in the following way: 1.) First photo shows the gemstone by a window in diffused light - body color is purple with teal highlights reflecting off the internal facets. Our camera captured more bright blue, but the color is more of a teal. In different window lighting, we have seen this teal be more green. 2.) Middle photo was under our office fluorescent lights - shows a body color of purple with a glowing blue off the internal facets. These colors remind us of some of the fine bluish Amethyst that is available on the market. Look through the very center, the table facet, and in the back in two sections, one can see a more green color. 3.) Bottom photo is under incandescent light. It literally glows a bright pink with red flashes. 4.) We have viewed this gemstone under indoor flood lights and the body color seems to take on more of an orangy pink or perhaps orangy purple. Various body colors will be seen depending on wavelengths available in the existing light source. This gemstone and material would make a great pendant and when worn where the light source is changing as one walks from room to room, will change color depending on the wavelengths available in the light sources as noted. For those admiring the piece of jewelry, it will receive comments and stares as people notice the gemstone looks dramatically different than it did previously. The 100,000 diamond polish adds scintillation on the surface as it is a mirror finish; one has the internal life due to the brilliance itself. You may note the interesting facet pattern on the top and bottom of the gem in the first photo (star burst pattern); this is due to the unique facet arrangement on the back. We have other photos that show this much better, but we chose this photo to represent this gem over the many that were taken. Please excuse dust and fingerprints that may be seen in the photos. At only $100/ct vs. the suggested $125/ct, the price is $3,865. Includes Shipping/Insurance! (synalex-17-01)

To View a Video of this Gem: Video Clip

Example of a 12mm round that we faceted. We are not sure if we oriented it properly, but regardless of this, the color is really nice, the material is clean, etc. This was from a previous pull that was received.

11.15ct Square Dozen Cut from this rough.

We have the results from two stones being cut from two different orientations. There is also a third orientation to try and again, all kinds of other possibilities if you go off-axis! One orientation yielded the following color change under the lights that we checked: Incandescent light - purplish pink; office fluorescent - purple with tanzanite blue highlights; under a Brinkman Fluorescent light (which we use when purchasing color change rough or color changing stones - teal blue with some purple highlights.

Another stone was cut at a different orientation. It goes from a purplish pink under incandescent, to a green with purple highlights (Brinkman) and under office fluorescent, it is really unusual - one can see green, purple and yellow orange occurring on the diagonals. This could be due to the orientaiton and/or the cut, but the play of color is wonderful. The camera was picking up what the eye was seeing, so no photos exist. It is the same cut (square dozen) and weighed 6.51cts.

Quote from the U.S. Cutter who faceted the two stones from the Pull discussed above: "I felt that the color was very good on both stones..... I did like the color, even the color change was good. As you had said earlier, the matl. is not as dark as the Russian matl. and will show better in larger stones."

55.88ct Synthetic Alexandrite - Could be the largest ever faceted! Notice that in this large size it is NOT overly dark! In fact smaller stones of just a ct or so are NOT overly light either...

This large Synthetic Alexandrite is from our Laser Rod material, and was faceted by our Award Winning Supreme Master Gemcutter - Stephen Kotlowski. We have many pictures showing the progression from the rough to the finished gem seen above. It measures 25.25x20.12x16.08mm. The polish is incredible as our cutter used 200k diamond powder in the final polishing step. Depending on the lights, the body color is pinkish red, amethyst purple and under a 65k Lumichrome Full Spectrum light, the color can be a greenish, bluish or teal. Normal lighting conditions show a more purplish body color with teal or blue highlights dancing around the internal facets! We haven't been able to obtain accurate color photos of Alexandrite or Ruby at times, possibly due to the Chromium. The gem may have a body color of teal to our eyes, but the camera sees it as a very different color,. Even when the office fluorescents show a purple color, cameras are seeing bright pinkish red! This was originally a custom faceted gemstone for one of our customers. SOLD!

A Customers Faceted Gemstone from All That Glitters Rough Synthetic Alex!

"I just finished my first stone from the Alexandrite lab rough I purchased from you. Thought you might like to see. 10.19ct, Paver Trilliant design by Jeremy Newman, cut by me... One photo in natural light, other under fluorescent. Nice material!! I have bought some years ago and cut it, not nearly as nice as this." - Bill Phaklides

Synthetic Alexandrite Set in a Pendant!

Our Rough Faceted by Mike Soebbing - 4.65ct, 9.32mm Photo Courtesy of Mike Soebbing

This material is a by-product of laser rod manufacturing. The application of this material as laser rods involves the Medical, Cosmetic, Spectroscopy and Industrial fields.

We purchased a large Pull as seen in the photos above and the pieces of rough below have come from that very piece.. We have sold this material to manufacturers outside the U.S. and it was always by the kilo. The Chinese were also faceting it and selling the cut gems.

We were asked by a number of small businesses and cutters to sell smaller pieces, so this time, we decided that we would break up a pull.

The color under incandescent light is reddish pink; under fluorescent lights, it depends on how one orients the axes. Using a dichroscope, one can see purple, teal, blue, green, orange and yellow. We have cut a few pieces here in the US from a previous pull and it goes from reddish pink to purple with teal - see photo above. At 15+mm in diameter, the color is strong without orientation of the rough. Note that this material is lighter than other Alexandrite out there and it allows one to cut very large stones without the being too dark. It contains less Cr and therefore, has less saturation. The largest faceted gemstone that has been faceted is over 70cts - and it still is not overly saturated! Parcels typically consist of a range of different sized pieces - see the photos above.

Write us for any more info, etc. This is nice material for cutting for your personal use or for resale.

NOTE - This material is generating a lot of inquiries. If these parcels are gone, we will put you on a waiting list for future parcels. Just contact us via email below and let us know that you require! (Wait time in the past has been about 3-6 years or so before we obtained new material in the past)

As some of you already know, other companies offer this material up to twice this price and with that material, one cannot facet larger stones because of the color saturation - NOT this material though........

Most of the material on the market is the darker material which does not allow larger stones to be faceted. Anything larger than 6mm is too dark! Some of these companies are also delivering rough which is only 5-8mm thick - ours is fairly thick , though we have cut a few pieces at 10mm. We will continue to slice at about 12-17mm thick.

What does ON HOLD mean??? People have expressed an interest in purchasing the material and we are currently awaiting payment, verifying payment has been received or awaiting final approval. SOLD indicates the material has been received and accepted.

Interesting Facts:
1.) The Pull seemed to be either a pinkish red or purple prior to cutting. It was difficult to obtain different colors with the dichroscope. As soon as a slice was cut, the dichroic colors that Alexandrite is known to have, appeared - the same exact colors seen in the previous pulls...
2.) Why wasn't this Pull used for Laser Rods. The Chromium content of this material is the same as previously purchased, so that was not an issue. The length of the Pull was too short to be used for laser rod manufacturing - so the Pull was never cored...
3.) One of our cutters used his 630-680nm diode laser and pointed to a faceted gemstone and the rough. The material went from a purplish pink color to blue green and remained like that for a few minutes. Other lasers would most likely have some affect on the color, as one is 'pumping' the atoms of the material. He also saw fringes. This material would most likely be used to create a tuneable laser...
4.) When the Pull has been sliced, holding the slice up to our office fluorescent lights, an orangy color is seen. If held up to outside light and looking through it, one sees a green color. Using the dichroscope looking through the slice, one sees an orange and a teal. Rotating the slice 90 degrees and looking through the edge, the color is Ruby Red!
5.) Down what we believe is the the C/Optic Axis: Teal/Orange
Side: Purple/Orange
90 deg to above: Teal/Purple
Tipping it just right will also give a yellowish green and purple; have seen pure green too. Simply Amazing Material!
6.) We have much fog from the valley outside the windows of our West Coast office. Holding a slice of the rough in front of a window at dusk with the white of the fog acting as a background, a wonderful green color is observed.
7.) A flat screen monitor acts as a dichroscope because of the polarized light. Rotating a slice produces a beautiful teal color and continuing to rotate, the rough turns orange.

Shipping and insurance:
Domestic (U.S.) - $20.00 for orders under $500; $25 for orders over $500
International - Contact us for a price quote of shipping method, insurance, etc.

You may also pay by check - contact us via phone or Email or use our Intent to Purchase Form to start the process.

***** View Other Available Rough *****

Not Responsible for Typographical Errors, Mis-pricing, Calculations, etc.

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We continue to utilize Square, Zelle, Venmo, popmoney, Wise and other services/applications, as well as Personal/Bank Checks, Wire Transfers and Bank to Bank ACH if your bank is capable of that. We are always seeking additional options which would be reliable, safe and user friendly.

Contact us via Phone, Email or use our Intent To Purchase Form to discuss payment. Square, Zelle, Venmo, Popmoney and Wise links are below. Square is similar to PayPal, but an account is not required; Zelle is bank account to bank account; Venmo is bank account to bank account but one can use a debit card as well as a credit card with an associated charge for using a credit card; Popmoney is also bank account to bank account; Wise (formerly Transferwise) is typically for International Transactions/Foregin Currency but also works within the United States.

NOTE - For those who must utilize PayPal, we can provide an invoice or have funds sent to a PayPal account we have access to. There will be a 3% charge for this service, which PayPal charges - regardless of whether the item is returned. This is PayPal's mandate as of October 2019 - the only payment application that we are aware of that will not return their fee if an item is returned. We no longer offer PayPal as a standard payment option...

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Refunds and Guarantees
All That Glitters has a wonderful return policy - a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee:
Purchases may be returned within 7 Days if only a window/side is polished so one can see inside. Refund will be the cost of rough less the cost of shipping/insurance and any payment application fees.