different shades of blue fluorescence

[jwintim]

Does anyone have any experience with they way different shades of blue fluorescence affect the appearance of a stone? I am not talking about medium vs strong vs very strong, I am talking about how bright or dark the actual fluorescence is. For example, all of the images below are of medium blue fluorescence and from BGD:



To me, the first one appears the "brightest" and the last one appears "darkest" but they all have medium blue fluorescence. Is the end visual result the same for all 3?

Thanks.

 

[RockyRacoon]

Does anyone have any experience with they way different shades of blue fluorescence affect the appearance of a stone?

To me, the first one appears the "brightest" and the last one appears "darkest" but they all have medium blue fluorescence. Is the end visual result the same for all 3?

In short - no, the visual results are not the same (when UV light is present). Fluorescence varies widely and even the categories defined by labs ('Medium,' 'Strong,' etc.) are not consistent.

However, without the presence of UV light, the 3 stones will not appear much different from one another, assuming all other aspects (color, clarity, cut) are equal.

Sometimes fluorescence results in a soft violet stone in the presence of UV light, sometimes a light blue, sometimes no noticeable results at all. I have seen all these varied results in what GIA has classified as 'Medium' fluor stones.

 

[jwintim]

Ok thanks for the info. I guess what I was trying to get at is if one shade is "better" or more visually appealing over another? For example, I haven't seen many stones with that darker shade of fluorescence and wasn't sure if this was good or bad... or neither? Similarly, is one shade more likely to be seen in sunlight? Will one shade cancel out more warmth of a stone than another? Is a particular shade more likely to have negative characteristics? Is one shade more prone to phosphorescence? It just seems like there is not much information on fluorescence past the fact that it exists (in vaguely defined buckets) and some people don't like it and others do.

But I understand your point that without UV light they will all be similar assuming everything else is the same. But then again UV rays do exist, so this is why I am asking the question.

 

[RockyRacoon]

Ok thanks for the info. I guess what I was trying to get at is if one shade is "better" or more visually appealing over another? For example, I haven't seen many stones with that darker shade of fluorescence and wasn't sure if this was good or bad... or neither? Similarly, is one shade more likely to be seen in sunlight? Will one shade cancel out more warmth of a stone than another? Is a particular shade more likely to have negative characteristics? Is one shade more prone to phosphorescence? It just seems like there is not much information on fluorescence past the fact that it exists (in vaguely defined buckets) and some people don't like it and others do.

But I understand your point that without UV light they will all be similar assuming everything else is the same. But then again UV rays do exist, so this is why I am asking the question.

This is a personal thing, where some people may enjoy a 'brighter' blue, while others prefer a 'deeper' blue.

As you mentioned, trying to identify 'buckets' of these characteristics is very tough. Since there is such a gradient, it wouldn't be easy to pinpoint the exact characteristics of stones that have particular performance characteristics.

Phosphorescence can occur in any of these configurations.

An example: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.568-h-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104067973031

I own the stone above, and it possesses an orange-ish yellow phosphorescence, which eventually turns to blue/white. Phosphorescence was a prerequisite for this particular stone, and I had great difficulty locating a stone that possessed the property. I have purchased stones that had 'similar' fluorescence pictures, and these stones did not have phosphorescence. I have spoken with many vendors, including most PS vendors, who either don't understand phosphorescence (BGD actually told me NONE of their stones exhibited phosphorescence - which is wrong), or aren't able to provide stones that possess the property, on demand. I had to call in a number of stones to find the proper stone for the project.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Some of those differences may be due to photography. I think you are overthinking to try to differentiate preferences within the color blue over and above the grade of fluorescence. If you like blue fluorescence, just decide what amount you are comfortable with. I have had a stone with medium and strong blue, and I enjoyed both. I had to use a UV light to see it in both cases.

 

[MonkeysInk]

I have a stone with strong blue fluoro (see my avatar) and also yellow/orange phosphorescence. I live in Texas, where we have pretty high UV levels regularly. I see the blue color outside sometimes, but it's not really that noticeable except to me. My husband has to hold my hand close to his face to see it when we're in the right light and he knows what he's looking for. I have a little UV light I keep on my desk specifically to play with my stone because I like to see the blue and don't see it as much as I'd hoped I would.

It's almost like a reflection or like looking at it through colored water, but it's quite fleeting - it's not like it glows blue outside, it's very, very subtle.