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Trying to work out if I'm seeing a reflection or fluoro

foxinsox

foxinsox

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Jul 18, 2015
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4,076
So I was outside with the dogs yesterday and noticed when I was in the shadow of the house, my e-ring was bright white but when I walked into the sunlight, it went a lavender colour. It's not supposed to have any fluoro so I wondered if I'm seeing it reflecting the sky.
I took some video standing in the same spot with my hand tilted back away from the sun and then towards the sun - both times reflecting the sky. Tilted away from the sun, white, towards the sun, lavender. I've included some screenshots from the video - does anyone have any ideas what I'm seeing?

IMG_1680.jpg

IMG_1682.jpg
 
Best/easiest way to check for fluorescence is to pick up one of those cheap UV/Blacklight torches off a well known auction site or the site that sounds like it's based in South America :lol:

I wouldn't use them too much, though - some (all??) wavelengths of UV lights are bad for the back of your eyes, and I wouldn't assume that anything made that cheaply isn't putting out at least some of those wavelengths!
 
+1 to oohshiny
Get yourself a UV penlight ( don't shine it into your eyes)
Put the stone in the dark and hit it with the uv'to see for yourself. To properly grade it you'd need the correct wavelength- but just to check you can use a cheap one.
It does look like fluoro from your picture but it's not conclusive.
Which lab graded the diamond?
 
Thanks - I'll grab a cheap UV light and play around.
Rockdiamond it was graded by EGL USA (I know, I know!) I didn't know any better then tho and the choices for OECs in NZ are limited to say the least...
 
This could easily be another area where the sub par lab screws the pooch.
Also important to mention that the sub par report say ZERO bad things about your diamond itself. Looks lovely!!
 
Thanks! It's not perfect but it was a good price for the size and I love the faceting :) I'm looking forward to getting a UV penlight and playing around (I would be thrilled if it also phosphoresced!)
 
Your diamond is very pretty. I have one of those UV lights and have fun playing with it looking at my jewelry.
 
Dogs and diamonds, the best things in life!
Love your ring!!
 
While it does look like it might be fluorescence, I might also ask what color shirt were you wearing. There appears to be some lavender even in the shade photo, so catching reflected light from your shirt could have some effect on the color perceived.

Of course, it could also be fluorescence and if so it does not seem to be an over blue but a beautiful color. Do you like it?

Wink
 
Wink! I feel honoured to have you comment (I love your stories of the gem trade!).
I was wearing a dark/navy blue jumper from memory so it shouldn't be that. In the first pic I think the blue I see in the first picture in the 7-8 o'clock petals is a reflection of the sky. It's definitely the right colour for a clear NZ winter morning sky.
I love the lavender colour and would be excited to have a fluoro stone - it's like a magic trick to see it glow. I bought a UV light which should arrive to work tomorrow so I'll see if I can get some pictures if it does light up (fingers crossed!).
 
Ooh cool! I found out the first time I had gel nails at a salon with a uv light that my diamond was strong blue. I had suspicions, before that, because it would go slightly lavender/periwinkle in the sun - but only sometimes. I love it and now have my own LED UV gel kit. And, yes I have put all my stones in there from time to time. Only a couple melee both fluoresce and phosphoresce. But that is cool too.

Take some pics and show us!!!
 
Let us know what you find out. Love your ring :love: btw
 
foxinsox said:
Wink! I feel honoured to have you comment (I love your stories of the gem trade!).
I was wearing a dark/navy blue jumper from memory so it shouldn't be that. In the first pic I think the blue I see in the first picture in the 7-8 o'clock petals is a reflection of the sky. It's definitely the right colour for a clear NZ winter morning sky.
I love the lavender colour and would be excited to have a fluoro stone - it's like a magic trick to see it glow. I bought a UV light which should arrive to work tomorrow so I'll see if I can get some pictures if it does light up (fingers crossed!).
Click to expand...

I am on vacation this week and we just got all the kids in bed. Spending a few on the board to catch up, going to check on tomorrow to hear you findings.

Wink
 
foxinsox said:
Wink! I feel honoured to have you comment (I love your stories of the gem trade!).
I was wearing a dark/navy blue jumper from memory so it shouldn't be that. In the first pic I think the blue I see in the first picture in the 7-8 o'clock petals is a reflection of the sky. It's definitely the right colour for a clear NZ winter morning sky.
I love the lavender colour and would be excited to have a fluoro stone - it's like a magic trick to see it glow. I bought a UV light which should arrive to work tomorrow so I'll see if I can get some pictures if it does light up (fingers crossed!).
Click to expand...

Playing with a blacklight is one of the simpler pleasures in life for me now. I recently took it to a couple of pieces that I bought for my wife when we were on holidays in Queenstown along with some older diamond jewellery I've inherited and I've found quite a few pieces where there's been fluorescence in the melee stones which just looks very cool.
 
So I have fluorescence AND phosphorescence! Just not in my ering - that resolutely remained un-glowy :lol: so I don't know what I'm seeing outside.
A 7-stone band from my mum lit up tho - one faint blue, one medium blue-green(?!) and one orange! I cannot get them on camera tho. The orange one is the white one on the right, then the faint blue and the blue-green one on the left. This is the one that phosphoresces orange after turning the light off - it's the picture below this one.

IMG_1701.JPG

IMG_1709.JPG

Pretty cool huh? Still weird that I can't get remotely near the colours I see in person on the camera though.
 
First time I've ever seen orange fluor!!!! :love:
 
Very cool indeed, especially the phosphorescence!

Silly question, but with regard to the fact that you see the lavender colour only when the stone is pointed towards the sun, could it simply be that it is reflecting the colour of the sky back into your eyes rather than being fluorescent, but when you're tilting it away from the sun, the angle is such that you're unable to see the same reflection? Maybe you could try getting someone else to help investigate by standing at, say, right angles to you, and see if they see the same colour as you when the diamond is at the same angles.

Another possibility is that it's fluorescing to a wavelength that the sun gives out but your torch doesn't.
 
Getting good photos of gemstones, especially their proper colors, can be an extremely frustrating task. I once had a magnificent chrome tourmaline that photographed like a brownish yellowish sickly green, even when I took it to some professional photographers. Of course we were working with film in those days, and without the blessing of Photoshop...

Maybe try taking a photo like the original blue in the sunshine with a nice red shirt on. If you get the same blue, then we can point at the sky and thank it for the pretty effect.

I love it that you have so many colors in your mum's ring. Phosphorescence is relatively rare, so fun to see that too.

Wink
 
Nitedula said:
Very cool indeed, especially the phosphorescence!

Silly question, but with regard to the fact that you see the lavender colour only when the stone is pointed towards the sun, could it simply be that it is reflecting the colour of the sky back into your eyes rather than being fluorescent, but when you're tilting it away from the sun, the angle is such that you're unable to see the same reflection? Maybe you could try getting someone else to help investigate by standing at, say, right angles to you, and see if they see the same colour as you when the diamond is at the same angles.

Another possibility is that it's fluorescing to a wavelength that the sun gives out but your torch doesn't.
Click to expand...
Not a silly question at all! it was the first thing I considered. However the colour it goes isn't the colour of the sky - you can actually see the sky reflecting in the first picture I posted which is why I wondered if I could be seeing fluorescence. It's winter here and it was mid-morning so the sky was a very pale blue rather than lavender. If we get sunshine tomorrow (it's been raining for the last 5 days :() I'll see if I can do the experiment you suggested.
 
Wink said:
Getting good photos of gemstones, especially their proper colors, can be an extremely frustrating task. I once had a magnificent chrome tourmaline that photographed like a brownish yellowish sickly green, even when I took it to some professional photographers. Of course we were working with film in those days, and without the blessing of Photoshop...

Maybe try taking a photo like the original blue in the sunshine with a nice red shirt on. If you get the same blue, then we can point at the sky and thank it for the pretty effect.

I love it that you have so many colors in your mum's ring. Phosphorescence is relatively rare, so fun to see that too.
Wink
Click to expand...
I was really excited to see it! They're visibly included but really sparkly and white. The different colours of fluoro were a total surprise too.
If the sun comes out, I will put something bright on and see what shows up.
I just googled chrome tourmaline - oh my :love: they're the most perfect emerald colour ever. It must have been very frustrating to have it photograph completely differently!
 
Well I think it's just reflection - we got some sun finally and I played around with tilting my ring into the sun so it lit up then shading directly overhead with my hand but so there was still sun hitting the stone - theory being reflection would be blocked, fluoro activated by UV wouldn't be. And sadly, when I blocked it, most of the lavender colour vanished. Boo! But it still looks pretty so I'm not too sad. Plus now I know there's some awesome fluoro and phosphorescence going on in another ring so it's not a total loss :lol:
 
Fox- it's quite possible you got a false negative using your test.
One of the coolest things about fluoro is the fact it's a wildcard.
For example- two stones that may behave identically under a UV in the dark can give totally different results in sunlight.
Indirect sunlight can also activate the blue/ lavender in some examples.
Checking in sunlight is fun and interesting but not a good way to check for fl.

Interested hearing about Winks difficulties photographing chrome tourmaline. I've had a very easy time getting the camera to capture the amazing green. When you googled it fox, you surely came across a few of my pictures. Emeralds, by contrast, are totally impossible.
They become opaque in any bright light.
 
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