Extract from GIA Textbook: Diamonds.

Diamond has many properties that make it the most sought-after gem in the world. Its special relationship with light provides three of those properties: brilliance, fire and scintillation.

A polished diamond’s beauty lies in its complex relationship with the light around it. The main elements of the relationship between diamonds and light are how the light strikes the surface, how much of it enters the diamond, and how and in what form the light returns to your eye. Each element depends on diamond’s optical properties as well as on the quality of its cut.

Diamonds are cut to be appreciated face-up. Motion are also helps to show off a polished diamond’s beauty. By tilting and rocking a diamond, you can create constantly changing viewing angles. Diamond professionals use this to assess a diamond’s beauty.

A polished diamond is a three-dimensional object. When light enters, it follows complex paths within the diamond. Researchers are only beginning to appreciate the complexity of light’s relationship with the interior of a diamond, and how different facet sizes, arrangements, and angles can improve or diminish the gem’s optical performance. #eClarity

Courtesy: #GIA. Resource: Amanda Koo