DISPERSION IN GEMOLOGY

Sunlight {white light) is made up of the colours of the rainbow (spectral colours). Each colour corresponds to a different wavelength of light and a different energy, and each is refracted (bent) to a different degree (measured as its refractive index) as sunlight shines through the rain, effectively separating and spreading the colours to form the rainbow (dispersion). In a gemstone such as a diamond, which has a high dispersion, flashes of rainbow colours appear to come out of the stone as the gem or its light source is moved.

The colours of the rainbow are the colours of the visible spectrum, the wavelengths of light with the energies we are able to see. On either side of the visible spectrum other energies such as X-rays, ultra-violet rays and infrared rays interact with the crystal structure to modify the colour or produce optical effects such as fluorescence and phosphorescence.

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