Optical properties

Optical properties are those which are related to the behavior of light, on, or in, a gemstone. ...

Optical Properties of Diamond: Type I & Type II Diamonds
Surface Luster of Diamond ...

Colored Stones : Optical Properties
Introduction:
Of all the various properties of a gemstone the optical characteristics are of unsurpassed importance.

Optical Properties: A gemstone's inherent ability to interact with light. Color, dispersion and fluorescense are all optical properties.

Optical Properties
The behavior of light within a material.
Organic Gem
Naturally occurring substances wholly or partly derived from plants or animals--coral, jet, pearls.

Optical Properties - One fundamental characteristic of gemstones is the way they interact with the light. "Optical properties" refers to this trait and include color, dispersion and fluorescence.

Optical Properties
Single refractive, often anomalous double refractive [1]
Birefringence ...

OPTICAL PROPERTIES
An optical property is a gem's intrinsic ability to interact with light. Some optical properties are color, dispersion and fluorescence.
OVAL CUT ...

The optical properties of the various glasses vary chiefly with their densities, and the denser the material the higher the refractive index and the greater the dispersion.

It's optical properties are actually below average, and because it is very common that this gem contains slight inclusions causing fuzziness, it often shows below average sparkle.

impurity An item present in a mineral which is not part of its integral structure, and may change its optical properties, such as color. inclusion Materials that are locked inside a mineral as it is forming. incrust To form a crust over.

A diamonds beauty is largely measured by how well the cutting process maximizes the stone's inherent physical and optical properties. There is no way a high color or clarity grade can offset the visual results caused by poor cutting.

Sapphire also exhibit stunning optical properties - they have lovely luster, homogeneity of color and rich color depth. Technical terms aside, they are simply incredible to look at.

To best use their natural form and unique optical properties, they are commonly fashioned into the 58-facet cut known as the modern round brilliant.
It is thought that diamond mining as an industry originated in India between 800 and 600 B.C.

are by far the most popular of all gems. David Marcum's comments about advertising not withstanding, the current popularity of diamond as a gem has its roots in two unique attributes: 1) an exceptional combination of physical and optical properties ...

These artificial colored diamonds will be looking similar to that of an original diamonds in many aspects say the brilliant sparkling, fine optical properties and etc.

In recent years approximately 100 new mineral species have been described each year, and these descriptions along with reports of physical and optical properties and crystal structure determinations are reported in various mineralogical journals, ...

Their physical and optical properties conform to the data shown below. Microscopic examination revealed interiors with a definite orientation of a syrupy "scotch and water" effect, similar to that exhibited by hessonite garnets.

By the time this author wrote, density and thermal inertia, as well as the internal and external features of gems and their optical properties, were important in testing as they are today.

Though most of the synthetic gems have physical, chemical and optical properties identical as the natural gem, there are some exceptions like coloring chemical which can be different from the natural coloring agent.

The awe-striking beauty of a cut diamond emanates from its inherent physical and optical properties in combination with a cutter's ability to maximize the display of these properties.

Scholars knew of diamonds' unrivaled hardness since antiquity, but its unique optical properties went unrecognized until comparatively recently.

Crystals are divided into seven crystal systems, according to their optical properties (how light bends within the crystal), plane of symmetry, axis of symmetry, center of symmetry, crystallographic axis.

Unlike diamonds, colored gems possess variable optical properties and thus are not often cut to a uniform ideal. A well-cut colored gem exhibits even color, an acceptable number of inclusions for the type and good brilliance.

Anisotropic...Crystals in which the optical properties vary with direction. All crystals except those in the cubic system are in this category, and exhibit double refraction.

It is a very hard gemstone, harder than most metals. It has amazing optical properties that can be maximized by cutting. The Round Brilliant cut takes full advantage of these properties. Ideal Cut diamonds will always be the exact same proportions.

This gives the glass reflective optical properties. Dichroic glass was originally developed by NASA for use in satellite optics and spacesuit visors, but is now used in the manufacture of jewelry - particularly pendants.

Mineralogy Database - complete database of minerals with their chemical, physical and optical properties with Dana & Strunz classifications. Excellent new crystallography section. David Barthelmy.

Phenomenal Gems Gems that display unusual optical properties such as color change, chatoyancy, asterism or iridescence.

More than any other feature, proportions determine a diamond's optical properties. Studies have shown that table size, crown angle, and pavilion depth have a dramatic effect on a diamond's appearance.

These changes in colour occur due to optical properties of the gemstone that reflect and scatter the light. Opal is the most famous example of an iridescent gemstone (its milky white iridescence is called opalescence).

Entries for each mineral include pronunciation (very useful for beginners), varieties, crystal habit, physical and optical properties.

Zircon
Gemstones of mineral Zirconium silicate with traces of uranium. In colors from transparent, yellow, brown, green, blue green, blue and red. Have high optical properties.
Hardness : 6.5-7.5 Refractive Index : 1.70-1.706 Density : 3.25-3.37 ...

A laboratory-made stone whose chemical composition and optical properties are similar to those of it's natural equivalent.
Table
The upper horizontal surface of a faceted gem.

Chemical composition -- Hydrated magnesium silicate. Serpentine is actually a group of three minerals having the same chemical composition but varying physical and optical properties: bowenite (antigorite), lizardite, and chrysotile (asbestos).

Optical property is a gem's intrinsic ability to interact with light. Some optical properties are color, dispersion and fluorescence.
Oval Cut ...

Lab-Created
A color stone produced in a laboratory setting. Lab-created stones have the same chemical, physical and optical properties as natural gemstones.

Additional sections describe the process of cutting gemstones and the techniques professional gemologists use to evaluate a stone's weight and optical properties.

The flashes of coloured light (fire) emanating from diamonds are caused by white light being split up by the optical properties of the diamond.
There is a more technical explanation of dispersion on our dispersion page.

A crystal is a solid material that has a definite internal atomic structure. Its atomic stricture produces a characteristic external shape as well as physical and optical properties.
Crystal Structure ...

The value of a sapphire is determined by its colour, purity, reflection (or optical properties), and size. Imperfections in the sapphire, such as clouds, opaque spots, strips, knots, and flakes, reduce its value.

See also: Color, Stone, Gemstone, Crystal, Mineral