- Thanks for your attention Zuo Yan Jewelry Class -
When it comes to diamonds, I believe that the first word that pops up in most people's minds is "flash"!
Why are diamonds so sparkling?
Here comes a concept: dispersion. The sparkle of a gemstone is closely related to the dispersion of the gemstone.
Dispersion refers to the phenomenon of white light decomposing into the spectral colors (red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple) that make it up as it passes through an inclined plane in a transparent substance.
Each gemstone has its own dispersion value, which varies in size and the clarity of the colored light that is decomposed varies.
Gemstones with high dispersion will reflect multicolored brilliance under sufficient light conditions, and this phenomenon is what we often call 'fire', to put it more colloquially, it is a word: "flash".
In general, gemstones with a dispersion value above 0.030 can be considered high dispersion gemstones, and these high dispersion gemstones can be carefully cut and polished to produce dazzling brilliance.
Diamonds are veritable high dispersion gemstones with a dispersion rate of 0.044, so they will look particularly brilliant under the illumination of light.
So, are diamonds the most sparkling gemstones?
No, in nature, there are many gemstones whose dispersion is higher than diamonds, but because they are too rare or otherwise, we rarely hear or see them on weekdays.
So, let's get to know these rare gemstones today
01 Garnet
The name of the garnet comes from the German Demant, meaning diamond, which is due to the fact that the dispersion of garnet exceeds that of diamond, reaching 0.057, even in natural light, it can show a very strong fire, as if the sun shines out from the inside of the stone, very dreamy.
Garnet belongs to a kind of calcium garnet in the garnet family, because the chromium element appears emerald green, the value is much higher than the brothers of the same family, becoming the new upstart in the green gemstone.
It is the most famous variety of high-dispersive gemstones besides diamonds. High-quality garnets are very rare and very valuable.
Generally speaking, the Urals of Russia produce high-quality garnets and are expensive. Although found elsewhere, the quality is far inferior to that of the garnets produced in the Urals.
In May 2014, Bonhams auction house auctioned a rare 6.83 ct garnet for $125,000
In November 2019, Bonhams Auction House exhibited a bright green 2.58 ct garnet with an estimated value of $10,000
In any case, this seductive green color can indeed make countless people fall for it.
02 Sultanle (color-changing bauxite)
It is more precious than diamonds, more brilliant than the color of the stone, hardness comparable to jadeite, and it is only one place in the world where it can be found. It is — Sutanle.
Sutanlai's scientific name is "color-changing bauxite", which is colored by trace amounts of manganese and produces a unique variety of color-changing effects. It combines polychromaticity, color change, and high dispersion.
Two to three or even more colors can be observed from different angles, and if the top gemstone is added to the top cut, 7 colors can be seen on the same Sultan stone. This is because it combines two special gemological properties, its discoloration effect and polychromaticity.
Kiwi green, champagne gold, raspberry powder, bright yellow, cognac powder, turmeric and gray green are presented under different light sources.
In the outdoor bauxite has a kiwi green color with a light yellow flash; Indoors, it will become a rich champagne color, giving people a strong visual impact.
Coupled with its higher dispersion of 0.048 and a refractive index of 1.75 than diamonds, the hardness reaches 7, and the unique color-changing effect makes them favored by jewelry designers.
Such a fantastic effect should be regarded as the peak of the value of these gems today.
The only Sultanrai mine in the world, located in turkey's Anatolian Mountains, is extremely difficult to mine. Its yield is very low, with the vast majority of Sutanle finished stones between 1-3 carats, and more than 5 carats are extremely rare.
In November 2019, Bonhams Auction House exhibited a 33.17 ct bauxite
Estimated at $20,000
In 2005, Turkish jewelry merchant Murat Akgun acquired the right to mine the world's only color-changing bauxite resource.
In honor of the Sultan who once ruled the Ottoman Turkish Empire, he named it Zultanite, which translates as "Sultan Stone" or "Sultan's Stone".
03 Sphalerite
Sphalerie comes from the Greek language, the main ingredient is zinc sulfide, and the dispersion value is 0.156, which is 3 times that of diamonds.
It has magnificent colors and moving fire, but its hardness is only 3-3.5, too low hardness greatly affects its potential as jewelry, most of the faceted gemstones are only for collection, but also relatively rare, many people are not familiar with it, or even "only hear its name, not see its people".
Gem-grade sphalerite is extremely rare, mainly produced in Spain and Mexico, and the resources are scarcer than rubies, so the high-quality sphalerite with large particles is very rare and precious, and is regarded as the new favorite of the collecting world.
At the 2013 annual Gem Society of America (AGTA) Spectrum Awards, designer Brent Malgarin won the Brent Malgarin – Elegant Gems, Ltd. earrings for their gorgeous sphalerite earrings.
18-carat yellow gold features 14.87 carats of sphalerite ore in a variety of colours and diamonds weighing a total of 0.42 carats
Sphalerite cleavage development and low hardness, Mohs hardness of 3.5, so when wearing and storing jewelry, you should be extra careful not to put it in the same place with high-hardness gemstones, otherwise it is easy to be ground on the surface.
04 Diaphragm
The English name of the lentilde is Sphene (different from sapphire Sapphire), it has a sub-diamond luster, the refractive index is 1.88-2.05, the birefringence is 0.105-0.135, it has a strong trichrodibility, common green yellow, reddish yellow and nearly colorless.
Diaphragm has always been known for its brilliant color and gorgeous fire, of which the emerald green and golden yellow varieties are the most beautiful and are favored by collectors.
In 2018, a 24-carat diaphragm sold for $6,500
In November 2019, Bonhams Auction House exhibited a 27-carat diaphragm with an estimated value of $15,000
Mohs hardness is one of its weaknesses, only 5-5.5, which makes it rarely used in expensive jewelry making, because the hardness is too low and too easy to break, so most faceted gemstones are used for collection, and must be worn as jewelry with extra care.
05 White lead mine
Known as a 'fantastic gemstone', the white lead ore is so dispersed that the diamond may be obscured by its brilliance.
However, this gemstone is too rare, and there are very few crystals available for faceted faceted stones, and faceted gemstones larger than 1ct are rare and produced in Namibia.
Collection grade white lead ore, 230 carats.
A 896.39 ct white lead mine gem in the Royal Museum of Ontario, Canada, is the largest and best quality white lead ore crystal found in the world, which can be called the treasure of the museum
In addition, the hardness of white lead ore is only about 3-3.5, which can only be used as a collection, and basically cannot be worn, which is a pity.
06 Benitoite
When you see the appearance of benitoite, you might think it's a sapphire or a gem like Tanzanite.
In December 2017, Bonhams Auction House auctioned a 2 carat blue echine mine for $22,500
But benitoite is very rare, benitoite faceted gemstones have a distinct appearance, gemstones are generally very small, pure and clean large carat bete echinite gemstones are very rare.
Another 1.5 ct of benitoite is valued at $10,000
The dispersion of benitoite is very strong, 0.046, and the cut benitoite plane can emit its dazzling fire.
- Thanks for your attention Zuo Yan Jewelry Class -