What makes the fire and rainbows in the diamonds?

[diamondheart]

I was looking at my fiancee''s ring after cleaning it. All I know is that it is the most sparkly ring in almost all lights that I have seen. I was wondering how does the diamond create all the different colors. Is it kind of like 57 small little prisms? The flashes that I like most are the ones that come off the edge of the Round Brilliant Diamond. I think it is coming off of the arrow point, I don''t know if I am wrong. So does anyone know the answer to how the diamond makes the diferrent colors?

 

[Cehrabehra]

to make rainbows it takes the diamond itself and light. Light to be refracted, diamond t odo the refracting. being well cut just means that the rainbows will hit your eyes and not the floor.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

the light must exit the diamond at a steep angle - which is why you see more at the edges

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Not much dispersion (spectral break up of white light) happens as the light enters - and the best fire exits close to the angle of the facet it leaves

 

[David_Lundahl]

Garry, correct me if i''m wrong....in that last diagram, the portion of light that does not enter the stone, but reflects back off the surface....we call that ''luster'' right? And it varies with RI and hardness, which is why Diamond has Adamantine luster?

 

[David_Lundahl]

BUMP....sorry i''m really curious about this!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 10/27/2006 8:54:39 AM
Author: David_Lundahl
Garry, correct me if i''m wrong....in that last diagram, the portion of light that does not enter the stone, but reflects back off the surface....we call that ''luster'' right? And it varies with RI and hardness, which is why Diamond has Adamantine luster?

Yes about the hardness David, like hard wood takes a better polish than soft wood.

RI has less effect.

Adamantine is an oxymoron tortology - it means diamond like

 

[Serg]

Date: 10/28/2006 1:35:15 AM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)

Date: 10/27/2006 8:54:39 AM
Author: David_Lundahl
Garry, correct me if i''m wrong....in that last diagram, the portion of light that does not enter the stone, but reflects back off the surface....we call that ''luster'' right? And it varies with RI and hardness, which is why Diamond has Adamantine luster?

Yes about the hardness David, like hard wood takes a better polish than soft wood.

RI has less effect.

Adamantine is an oxymoron tortology - it means diamond like

Minimum reflection for glass is 4%, for diamond 17%