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Could this be a chameleon or is it just fluor?

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LD

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I received this today: 1.52ct Asscher cut yellowish/brown diamond

So, I opened the parcel (the diamond had been in complete darkness for at least 5 days) and out popped this dark brown /grey diamond that quite frankly was not the best colour in the world! 30 minutes later and I looked at it again and there was this bronze/gold/yellow coloured diamond! I''ll post a picture of the colour I can see but the vendor''s photo is a better representation so I''ll post that too.

Now .......... this could be the lighting because I then decided to see if it has fluor and yes, it does. Very strong fluor which I think is green.

So, experienced diamond collectors - what on earth have I got? Is this just a diamond where the fluor makes it appear to change colour in different lighting conditions OR is this a chameleon?

I''m going to have it tested so will be able to post an answer in a few weeks but in the meantime I''d love to hear your thoughts.

Here are a series of pictures (and apologies in advance because this diamond is completely and utterly camera shy)!
 
Neato!! Could well be a chameleon! The fluorescence is gorgeous, real jade green!
 
Pretty stone, LD! You can always put it in the dark for a few days to recheck the original color, but that would take more disclipline than I know I would have after just getting that nifty stone!

Another thing to check for is phosporescence. See if the stone continues to glow right after you turn off the UV light. You will need a very dark room in order to spot this. My chameleon fluoresces green but phosphoresces pink.

Very cool rock!
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I have a diamond that is very similar to this one and it did the same thing. I was going to send it off to the GIA just to double check that I was not seeing things. It has the same fluorescence and everything. I hope your diamond is a chameleon!!!!
 
That''s so cool!!
 
LD,
When you took it out of the box, did you move it to a different light source after seeing the new color? It could be a color shifter in that case, but I''m keeping my fingers crossed for you that it''s a true chameleon!! That would be cool!! I hope some chameleon expert has something to say. I don''t remember, but are chameleons supposed to go lgihter after being in the dark for several days or vice versa, or does it matter?
 
Date: 11/2/2009 6:36:53 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
LD,
When you took it out of the box, did you move it to a different light source after seeing the new color? It could be a color shifter in that case, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that it's a true chameleon!! That would be cool!! I hope some chameleon expert has something to say. I don't remember, but are chameleons supposed to go lgihter after being in the dark for several days or vice versa, or does it matter?
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My GIA chameleon is an olive green after being in the dark and then moves to a yellow. It goes bright orange when heated!

No I didn't move light sources but you may be right. The problem is I got home after dark tonight so am going to put it in the safe tonight so it has no light whatsoever and see what it does when I get it out and then what happens in daylight!

It'll be sooooo cool if it's a chameleon but if it's not then it's a definite colour shifter and the fluor is great so I'm happy either way!

ps I managed to get a better shot of the yellow fluor of the chameleon did you notice?


Flygirl - I've never noticed the phos with my chameleon. Do they all do it? I'll try tonight when I go to bed!
 
LD,
Yes, I did notice the yellow fluor on your other stone, so I guess the GIA was right about it.
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That's concerting to know. That green fluor on your new diamond is so cool. I think David of DBL had some diamonds that were that color naturally!!

Did you try heating the stone? Do all chameleons change color when heated as well?
 
Date: 11/2/2009 6:45:25 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
LD,
Yes, I did notice the yellow fluor on your other stone, so I guess the GIA was right about it.
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That''s concerting to know. That green fluor on your new diamond is so cool. I think David of DBL had some diamonds that were that color naturally!!

Did you try heating the stone? Do all chameleons change color when heated as well?
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I think they do BUT there''s no way I''m going to risk heating it!!!
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When I bought my chameleon David had a video of him heating it using a diamond scoop and a lighter. Very cool!
 
Date: 11/2/2009 6:53:43 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 11/2/2009 6:45:25 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
LD,
Yes, I did notice the yellow fluor on your other stone, so I guess the GIA was right about it.
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That''s concerting to know. That green fluor on your new diamond is so cool. I think David of DBL had some diamonds that were that color naturally!!

Did you try heating the stone? Do all chameleons change color when heated as well?
Click to expand...
I think they do BUT there''s no way I''m going to risk heating it!!!
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When I bought my chameleon David had a video of him heating it using a diamond scoop and a lighter. Very cool!
Click to expand...
I saw that video too!! I wonder how risky it would be to do that with a diamond.
 
LD, what a beautiful creamy yellow shade!!!
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And an asscher too! I''m pulling for you that it''s a chameleon. I''ve never seen an asscher chameleon before.

That would be something!
 
Nice stone. Would be cool if it is a chameleon, but a color-shifter is also fun. :) Hopefully more pics today? :p
 
Hello LD-

The Asscher is a beautiful stone, congratulations. My gut reaction is that you have a diamond where the fluorescence makes it appear to have a different color under different lighting. It does not fit the classic GIA Chameleon description. Almost every Chameleon will have a stable color in the "olive" range, unless they are a reverse Chameleon, which could be a yellowish brownish color. However, if it were a reverse Chameleon, the color would change to a darker olive, not the brown you see in your pictures. Your pictures are fantastic by the way, nice job in showing exactly what you saw. You can indeed see if the diamond changes colors under low heat, and that should be a much more dramatic change then going from darkness to light. It only takes about 300 degrees F to get a good change, so you would not be in much danger of hurting the diamond. However, I would still not recommend testing it that way. If you have access to short wave UV light, that is one of the first tests I would do to see if it is a Chameleon. All Chameleons I have seen or know of exhibit phosphorescence, which is very visible under short wave UV. If you expose the stone to short wave UV for a few minutes, and then turn off all the lighting, you will see the stone glow for anywhere from a few seconds to to several minutes. If the diamond does not exhibit this behavior, you can be pretty sure it is not a Chameleon. Nevertheless, the stone you just bought is beautiful and I hope you enjoy!
 
Is the phosphorescent effect you describe unusual? Because I have several diamonds with strong or very strong blue fluo, and they all go on glowing in a dark room after I turn off the UV light. The effect lasts at least half a minute.
 
ya, quite unusual. You got more treasures than you think. :P
 
Date: 11/3/2009 12:39:11 PM
Author: glitterata
Is the phosphorescent effect you describe unusual? Because I have several diamonds with strong or very strong blue fluo, and they all go on glowing in a dark room after I turn off the UV light. The effect lasts at least half a minute.
Click to expand...

I wouldn''t say that it is common to see that effect, but not uncommon in strong fluorescent stones. I''m not an expert in the study of fluorescence by any means, but I have noticed that the phosphoresce effect occurs in white stones with blue fluorescence more so than any other type. It is certainly not unique to just Chameleon type diamonds, but is one tool to help identify. I believe I have read that the GIA has not seen any diamond they have labeled as Chameleon that did not have that phosphoresce effect. I should note though that I have submitted stones to the GIA-GTL that were olive color, had color change in both heating and when subjected to periods of darkness, and had the UV effect, and still did not come back from the lab as Chameleon, so none if those test is any certainty, it just helps you get a better idea of what you might have.
 
Thank you all for the information.

Last night, I went to bed equipped with my UV light and darkness! After hubby had got over the shock of being illuminated in a UV wash (he doesn''t phosphoresce by the way!), I got down to the business of assessing what did and didn''t have phos.
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I''m pleased to say that my GIA chameleon has a very strong phos and my new baby also phos''s (if that''s a word!) but not as strongly or for as long. Interestingly, I had quite a few other pieces in the jewellery box showing strong fluorescence and when the light was off many of them continued to light up for quite a while. In all honesty it was very difficult to determine if the colour of the phos was different to the fluor colour and I''m not sure that it was but there were definitely light spots all round the jewellery box! It''s an interesting phenomenon and you do wonder if your eyes are playing tricks!!!

So, I can''t rule out a chameleon. This morning after a night in darkness, it was a much deeper brown and did lighten to a golden colour during the day but in all honesty I''m not sure if it''s due to the fluor or not. I can''t wait to get this checked out! Whatever it is, I love it for being unusual. If you can think of any other tests please let me know!!!

David - would it be safe to place the diamond on a baking tray and then use a lighter underneath - a cruder type set up to the one that David from DBL used? Would I harm the diamond at all? I know that David used a simple lighter and diamond scoop when videoing the change in my chameleon.
 
I think it is certainly worth a trip to the GIA-GTL for the diamond to see what you have there. It sounds very interesting, and I for one will be watching to see what they say. Careful with those UV lights, they can be wayyy too much fun.
I do the diamond scoop with the lighter all the time, like David-DBL did, and have not ever had a problem, with the exception of once picking the scoop up with my fingers after heating and burning my hand (luckily I am a quick study). I would make sure you keep moving the flame while heating, so as not let it sit directly under the stone for a period of time. It should not take much time at all before you see a reaction. If after five or ten seconds, it is not doing anything, I would stop and figure it will not change under heat. Do not pick up the diamond or the tray for a few minutes after heating..
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Thanks David - moving into the kitchen as we speak!!!

I''m based in the UK so a trip to the GIA-GTL isn''t as easy as for some but there is a great testing centre in the UK so I may have to start there or perhaps ship to the GIA (makes me incredibly nervous just thinking about it)!
 
Ok - back from the kitchen! This is what I did:

1. Placed the diamond on a clean unused baking tray
2. Held it over a flame for around 30 seconds
3. No colour change but the fire coming off the diamond (not literally fire!) was wonderful!

So I guess this isn''t a chameleon but just a very cool diamond! That''s fine by me!
 
It sure is a cool diamond, chameleon or no chameleon. I wish I could see your collection in person--I bet the lighting effects are amazing!
 
Date: 11/3/2009 3:10:54 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Ok - back from the kitchen! This is what I did:


1. Placed the diamond on a clean unused baking tray

2. Held it over a flame for around 30 seconds

3. No colour change but the fire coming off the diamond (not literally fire!) was wonderful!


So I guess this isn''t a chameleon but just a very cool diamond! That''s fine by me!
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Great job!!
And you didn''t get burned, that''s better than me...
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It still sounds like the diamond is an interesting specimen and worthy of further research. If time and energy permits, I would allow a lab there to take a look at it and tell you their thoughts. Either way, enjoy your new beautiful diamond!
 
Well, I''m glad it didn''t melt!! When you think about the high pressures and temperatures that diamonds are subjected to during their formation, I didn''t think a little lighter would hurt it.
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Well, it''s a nice diamond regardless of it not being a chameleon.
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Wow, I had never heard of a chameleon diamond before so I did a quick Google search:


The term “Reverse” chameleon refers to phenomenal diamonds that change from yellow in stable conditions to green after subjection to dark storage. Heating does not produce a color change in Reverse chameleons. With both groups, the change is infinitely repeatable.
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- DiamondVues.com


We distinguish two categories of chameleon diamonds, the ''classic'' group which typically will change color from green gray at the yellow orange, and the ''reverse'' group which goes from slightly yellow or brown yellow to intense greenish yellow.
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- Langerman Diamonds
 
LD,

Thank you for pointing me to your thread and I will have to search this forum for more examples and information
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Both of your stones are jaw dropping
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- Dave
 
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