RAPAPORT... Dear Editor,
A new awareness of the mysterious beauty of fluorescence in colored diamonds is evidenced by research being conducted at the Smithsonian Institution by a team led by Sally Eaton-Magana of the Gemological Institute of America. (See Winter 2007 Gems and Gemology).
In the olden days (pre-1979), diamond people would look at fluorescence as a virtue, referring to stones as “blue white” when the sun lit up the diamond. Certainly, in natural color diamonds, there can be much excitement and enthusiasm concerning this phenomenon.
Fluorescence is the reaction of certain diamonds — 36 percent of all diamonds fluoresce to some degree — to ultraviolet (UV) light as a living light energy is revealed. Ultraviolet light, a component of the daylight spectrum (sunlight), is a wavelength that is invisible to the naked eye. Certain natural-occurring objects in nature, like diamonds, have a unique atomic structure that will go into this state of excitation when exposed to direct sunlight or direct ultraviolet light. There is no reaction to incandescent indoor light.
Fluorescence can be an additional positive characteristic for a diamond, bringing mystery and greater wonder to the more obvious brilliance and color that hypnotize us. It is not a flaw or negative attribute. The only time it should be considered negative is if the fluorescence causes the brilliance to appear dull and hazy. Certificates use it as an identification tool just to state it exists. It has no impact on the grade.
Fluorescence in a diamond is analogous to bioluminescence, the production and emission of light by a living organism. This is a rare occurrence of nature that can be seen in some species of deep-sea creatures, algae, plants and fireflies. This living light is not a reaction to UV light but essentially has that same supernatural glow as fluorescent diamonds.
We are just beginning to explore the many mysteries and secrets of our world. We should embrace fluorescence for its unique contribution to beauty. The goddess of fluorescence has been revealed.
Sincerely,
Alan Bronstein
Aurora Gems Inc.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - September 2008. To subscribe click here.