Alexandrite, a variety of chrysoberyl, contains trace amounts of chromium that alters how the gemstone absorbs and transmits light. In the rarest examples, this results in a mesmerizing and distinct color change from a deep bluish-green under daylight to a rich purplish-red under incandescent light. This transformation is often romanticized as resulting an emerald by day, ruby by night. First discovered in the early 1830s in the Ural Mountains, alexandrite was named in honor of the future Tsar Alexander II, then still in his youth. The gemstone’s association with the Tsar was furthered with the green and red colors of the Imperial Army’s uniforms and the exclusive colors used for court dresses worn by ladies-in-waiting and maids of honor serving the imperial family. With the original Russian sources largely exhausted, most alexandrite found today comes from sources in Sri Lanka, East Africa, and the storied Brazilian deposit in Hematita. This discovery occasionally has produced extraordinary examples including the present lot, an exceptional 14.74 carat alexandrite with excellent color change and impressive size.