You know when you go into a bar and they have that black light on and it makes your clothes and shirt glow in the dark? Wouldn't it be cool if your
Diamonds glowed in the dark as well?
Well, the funny thing is... They can! Or at least some of them can.
You see, because Diamonds come from the Earth, they often mix with other elements like Aluminum, Nitrogen and Boron. Those elements help give some Diamonds the natural ability to glow in the dark.
Diamonds can glow great colors like: Blue, Yellow, Orange, Violet, Green, Red and White! Sounds awesome right? But is it?
Just because a Diamond may be special and glow under an Ultraviolet (UV) light, does that mean it's desirable? Is Fluorescence a good thing, or bad thing? Let's find out...
It's Neither! It all depends on each and every individual Diamond. There are so many other important things that can affect the beauty of a Diamond, the presence of Fluorescence is just a small part of that over-all picture.
You just have to look at the Diamond in question to know whether Fluorescence affects it or not. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't!
I have seen it where Fluorescence makes the Diamond look hazy or foggy. I've seen a VS2 Clarity Diamond (Excellent rating) that looked a little hazy because it had 'Faint' Fluorescence. It was almost like it had a layer of film covering the Diamond. (See picture) It made the Diamond sparkle and shine less than normal. It looked odd to me.
But then I've also seen other VS2 Clarity Diamonds (Since I'm already talking about VS2 Clarity - but then it could be any Clarity or Color!) with 'Strong' Fluorescence that were totally unaffected by this foggy trait. It didn't hinder the beauty or sparkle of the Diamond in the least. You just never know.
Keep in mind, Fluorescence doesn't affect the grade of the Diamond. (But it does decrease its value by 20%!) Fluorescence doesn't belong to any grading groups like Clarity or Color or any of the other 4 C's. It's listed by itself on the G.I.A. Diamond Report. And the only reason they list it is because it's just another way of identifying the stone.
G.I.A. grades Fluorescence in different levels of strength. They are: None, Faint, Medium, Strong and Very Strong. But like I said, even a Diamond with 'Very Strong' Fluorescence can be a great looking Diamond. As long as it doesn't have any weird reaction to light which can make it look hazy or cloudy, then I wouldn't worry about it.
Diamond Fluorescence is actually a pretty cool thing to view. If you hold a Diamond with Fluorescence up close to a UV Light, then the glow can get even stronger or more intense. (Sort of like holding a Watch with glow-in-the-dark hands closer to a light bulb!)
One more trait that a Diamond with Fluorescence could have that's just awesome to experience is Phosphorescence. (That's a long word!) Phosphorescence is the after glow! If you turn off the UV Light and the Diamond continues to glow, that's called Phosphorescence! Sweet eh? (Or Spooky?)
Still leery about Fluorescence? Consider this:
The Hope Diamond, which is the most well-known Blue Diamond in the World has 'Strong' Fluorescence!!! Really? Yep! Most people don't know that. The Hope Diamond can actually glow RED under an Ultraviolet Light. Intrigued yet?
If you're deciding whether or not to buy a Diamond with Fluorescence, I would highly recommend looking at some other things first. Judge the Diamond by its quality, like the Clarity and Color. Scope the Diamond. See how it looks with the naked eye.
Only then, should Fluorescence come into question. If it makes a great Diamond look foggy, hazy, oily or unattractive, then I would stay away. If not, who cares? Maybe the Jeweler will give you a much better deal on a Fluorescent Diamond? Maybe not! It's worth a shot!
Otherwise, enjoy your glow-in-the-dark Diamond. At least you'll know it's a real Diamond. (Synthetics don't glow!) And if you buy a UV Light, you'll always be able to identify your Diamond! And that's worth glowing about!
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