Alexandrite was originally discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1830 and named after the boy Czar, Alexander ll. The old Russian Imperial Colors were red and green and so Alexandrite was only mined for the royalty at that time. The stones found in Russia until 1850 or 1860 (before the mines played out) were considered the best in color and quality in the world until the 1990&#39;s