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Why do the diamonds sparkle?

Updated: 9/23/2023
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8y ago

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Diamonds sparkle when light enters them. Depending on the type of cut and the workmanship of the cutter a diamond can give off more or less sparkle. The diamond cutter cuts exact angles into the stone which makes the diamond sparkle.

Diamonds as we know them sparkle because of the facets that are cut into them whilst shaping them. Natural diamonds that haven't yet been mined don't sparkle as such.

For example, a Round Brilliant Cut diamond is just the simple round diamond shape we see all the time, and it contains between 56-57 facets; when any light enters the diamond, it is reflected off 56-57 differently angled surfaces on the diamond, not just one. They can be cut further than the generic amount to sparkle even more; a lot of jewellers do special collections of diamonds where the Round Brilliant cut has 73 facets instead of 56.

Diamonds have a high refractive index--which means they can really bend light rays. So light rays that shine into them will stay inside the diamond longer than they would inside glass, plastic, or any other material with a lower refractive index. And diamonds are cut to maximize this light capturing effect. All those sides and angles are carefully designed to keep incoming rays inside a long time--by making them bounce off as many walls as possible.

Several physical elements are involved, including diffraction and refraction:

According to Wikipedia, the definition of diffraction is:

"Diffraction refers to various phenomena which occur when a wave encounters an obstacle." Diamonds sparkle based on refraction, defined by Wikipedia as:

"Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed."

In sum, facets and their angles in and on the gem coupled with the natural attributes of diamonond mineral, cause light to 'bounce' within the diamond, and exit into your eyes, causing 'sparkle'.

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