Fluorescence in diamonds

Diamonds come in many varieties that can feature gorgeous color and clarity, but a lesser known feature is fluorescence. In fact, one in three diamonds exhibits fluorescence. And of these, 95 percent manifest in the color blue. Yellow and red also occur to a lesser extent.

What is fluorescence?

Due to the presence of trance elements in diamonds, certain gems exhibit visible color when placed under an ultraviolet (UV) light. As the sun is a source of UV, the effects can be seen without a black light, though they will be faint.

Effects on clarity

Diamonds categorized with strong blue fluorescence are said to appear hazier than diamonds with equal clarity and no fluorescence. This side effect generally depreciates the value of the diamond. The GIA did a study of fluorescent diamonds and found that that the haze or apparent color was too insignificant to note. Thus, no relationship was believed to exist between transparency and fluorescence.

Pricing

Because of the inconclusive relationship fluorescence has on color, rating the jewel becomes difficult and influences the price. A J diamond (nearly colorless) may appear to be the color quality of an H or I (also nearly colorless but slightly closer to totally colorless), in which case buyers would not want to pay full J price. The apparent color is seemingly worse than the grade suggests. To mitigate, the market dropped the price for fluorescent diamonds. This outcome is great for consumers looking for a brilliant diamond at a more affordable price.

Brian Gavin Blue

Brian Gavin's Blue line of diamonds brings the best of both worlds with clarity and the stunning effects of fluorescence. These diamonds come with an AGS laboratory grade of "0" ideal for light performance and have polish and symmetry in the range of "0" (ideal) through "1" (excellent). So when you purchase a "Blue" diamond, you know the overall quality will not suffer. In fact, Brian Gavin Blue has gotten rave reviews.

TruthAboutDiamonds recommended Brian Gavin's Blue to anyone looking to purchase a fluorescent diamond.

"The fluorescence improves the diamond's appearance by making the stone look more colorless without any negative side effects," the review said.

Brian Gavin's Blue line of diamonds are all handpicked and cut to the same precision as the Signature collection. With no visible cloudiness, these diamonds are the best jewels for the price.