ClassicGems.net

Fluorescent Gems

Fluorescence is a form of luminescence that is the ability of some minerals to emit visible light when exposed to shortwave (SW) or longwave (LW) ultraviolet (UV) light. This is caused by the presence of certain "activator" elements in the chemical composition of the mineral. These activators absorb light or other electromagnetic radiation and emit visible light when exposed to ultraviolet light. Fluorite is fluorescent due to traces of the activator element Erbium.

An early observation of fluorescence was described in 1560 by Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún (1499-1590). The word "fluorescence" was created in 1852 by Irish physicist George Gabriel Stokes (1819-1903) from the name of the mineral Fluorspar (Fluorite) after observing the phenomenon in Fluorspar and uranium glass.

The gems listed below are some of the many gems that exhibit fluorescence under either shortwave (SW) or longwave (LW) ultraviolet (UV) light, or both.

Roll your cursor over each picture below to see the gem exhibiting its fluorescence under UV light.
Click on a picture or the gem name for more detailed information on each gem type.

Yttrofluorite