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Diamonds • Precious Gemstones • Jewelry • Gemology

Brilliance/Internal Luster in Gemstones

Brilliance aka Internal Luster is a significant contributor to a gem's beauty and appeal. Observing flashes of brilliance is extremely important.

In those flashes of brilliance is where we see hue, tone and saturation.
brilliance in ruby, sapphire, spinel


Brilliancy also tells us much about how a gemstone is cut. A clean gem that is cut to good proportions will return a large percentage of light to the eye.

A poorly cut gem will normally have large areas of windowing, large areas of extinction, an imbalance or brilliance, no brilliance at all; or all of the above

Brilliance will also suggest how internal characteristics are affecting or diffusing light transmitted through the crystal.

A heavily included gem can diffuse the transmission of light, making the brilliancy appear fuzzy. Inclusions may mask large areas of the gem and not show brilliance in that area. In a gem with limited transparency, the brilliancy areas will be dim.
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