The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is helping consumers see the light by including a four-colour insert on fluorescence in its reports.
Addressing frequently asked questions, the insert accompanies GIA’s diamond grading reports on diamonds with a fluorescence description of medium or stronger. It uses everyday language and includes comparison images of diamonds in natural and ultraviolet (UV) light.
“Some diamonds show fluorescence and some don’t,” said Thomas M. Moses, GIA’s senior vice-president of laboratory and research. “Fluorescence is the emission of visible light by a diamond when it is stimulated by invisible UV rays. It is a common characteristic of diamonds. The diamond simply glows under the UV lights, usually a blue colour, which most often stops when the energy source causing it is removed.”
