gems, chrysoberyl, alexandrite, beryl, emerald, Russia, Ural Mountains, Malysheva

This book, a popular science publication about the most Russian and rarest precious stone—alexandrite—explores its properties, the history of its discovery, and the myths and legends surrounding it. It provides information on the history of a unique natural site—the Emerald Mines of the Urals. In connection with the legends about this gemstone, facts from the biography of Emperor Alexander II, after whom it was named, are also presented. For a wide audience of gem enthusiasts, mineralogists, gemologists, and jewelers.