Which term describes the color flashes seen in a polished diamond due to dispersion of light?

Which term describes the color flashes seen in a polished diamond due to dispersion of light?

• A. Finish
• B. Four-point diamond
• C. Fire
• D. Fluorescence

Answer: (C)

Dispersion splits white light into its spectral colors as it passes through a diamond. In a well-cut stone, those separated colors are reflected back to your eye as colorful flashes. This colorful effect is known as fire. It’s the colorful sparkle you see alongside the white brilliance. Fluorescence is about light emission under UV light, not color flashes in regular lighting. Finish refers to surface polish, and a four-point diamond is a cut style, neither of which explains the color flashes.

Dispersion splits white light into its spectral colors as it passes through a diamond. In a well-cut stone, those separated colors are reflected back to your eye as colorful flashes. This colorful effect is known as fire. It’s the colorful sparkle you see alongside the white brilliance. Fluorescence is about light emission under UV light, not color flashes in regular lighting. Finish refers to surface polish, and a four-point diamond is a cut style, neither of which explains the color flashes.