History · Geology
About Ural Emerald Mines
The Ural Emerald Mines (Izumrudnye Kopi) at Tokovaya River, central Ural Mountains, Russia, were discovered in 1830 and are the type locality for both phenakite and alexandrite. They produced emerald and rare gem species through the 19th-20th century.
Geology
The deposit is a beryllium-bearing mica schist series adjacent to ultramafic rocks. Hydrothermal-metamorphic fluids transferred Be and Cr from country rock into mica-schist gem-bearing zones.
Notable Minerals
Beryl (emerald — green Cr-bearing variety), phenakite (type locality — sharp rhombohedra), chrysoberyl (alexandrite — type locality, color-change green-red), muscovite, phlogopite, tourmaline, topaz, quartz. Both phenakite (1834) and alexandrite (1834) were defined here.
Collector Notes
Ural emerald and alexandrite specimens are imperial Russian mineralogical heritage. Old “Tsarist” specimens command historical-provenance value. Modern alexandrite extraction continues at small scale.
Minerals Produced Here
- Agate (玛瑙)
- Amethyst (紫水晶)
- Beryl (绿柱石)
- Chalcedony (玉髓)
- Chrysoberyl (金绿宝石)
- Citrine (黄水晶)
- Jasper (碧玉)
- Muscovite (白云母)
- Phenakite (似晶石)
- Phlogopite (金云母)
- Quartz (石英 / 水晶)
- Rose Quartz (玫瑰石英)
- Topaz (黄玉)
