Sapphire: Pink fluorescence

[Anarkali]

Hi all,

I purchased a sapphire that showed PINK color in the store. It's unheated, and almost flawless in clarity. When I did bring it outside in the day-light the color turns WHITE (D-Z), not chalky. The origin is Sri Lanka, so it has PINK fluor. Is there any specific reason the sapphire got PINK fluor?

UV (SW) - PINK
UV (LW) - PINK
Day-light - WHITE
Fluorescent - VIOLET
Incandescent - VIOLET

 

[LD]

This is very odd. Is this a white or a pink sapphire under normal viewing circumstances - day and night? Are you sure it's a sapphire? Typically you wouldn't get a gemstone that is white in normal daylight that then turns violet indoors in incandescent lighting (unless this is a colour changer or a synthetic of some description).

For example, I bought a Vanadium Chrysoberyl a few years ago. This is an amazing and odd gemstone that actually should be classed as an Alexandrite because of the colour change it displays. This is what it does (see photos below):

1. Daylight - pale minty green
2. Incandescent - pale pink
3. Backlight (to show fluor) - very strong pink/red

What are you using to check the fluor?

 

[Anarkali]

This is very odd. Is this a white or a pink sapphire under normal viewing circumstances - day and night? Are you sure it's a sapphire? Typically you wouldn't get a gemstone that is white in normal daylight that then turns violet indoors in incandescent lighting (unless this is a colour changer or a synthetic of some description).

For example, I bought a Vanadium Chrysoberyl a few years ago. This is an amazing and odd gemstone that actually should be classed as an Alexandrite because of the colour change it displays. This is what it does (see photos below):

1. Daylight - pale minty green
2. Incandescent - pale pink
3. Backlight (to show fluor) - very strong pink/red

What are you using to check the fluor?

I dont know what to say, as it's WHITE in day-light only, and PINK/VIOLET in all other lights? The color is LIGHT PINK and LIGHT VIOLET, not vivid or strong in any way, but still I think it's quite weird, or maybe even "rare"? And yes, I'm 100% positive it's Natural Corundum.

I did see one article online where it were stated that a few Sapphires from Sri Lanka had this PINK fluor phenomenon due to Chromium. But how normal is it for a sapphire to contain Chromium at all?

Link:
http://www.hnxxgy.com/Industry_News/2012041788.html

 

[LD]

When chromium is added to colourless corundum you get a ruby! So I don't think it's that unusual. How do you know for sure this is a natural corundum?

Whatever if it is/isn't - if it's white in daylight and then pink/violet IN ALL OTHER LIGHTS then this isn't fluorescence. This is evidence of a colour shift. You need to get a backlight to test for fluor. I suspect it will have fluor as most colour changers do.

 

[Anarkali]

When chromium is added to colourless corundum you get a ruby! So I don't think it's that unusual. How do you know for sure this is a natural corundum?

Whatever if it is/isn't - if it's white in daylight and then pink/violet IN ALL OTHER LIGHTS then this isn't fluorescence. This is evidence of a colour shift. You need to get a backlight to test for fluor. I suspect it will have fluor as most colour changers do.

http://www.hnxxgy.com/Industry_News/2012041788.html

"Luminance: short wave ultraviolet light, ruby can be found in the red fluorescence, and under the long-wave intensity is higher than the short-wave sunlight also can stimulate red fluorescence, but containing Fe by weak fluorescence. Sapphire general non-fluorescence, with Cr, Sri Lanka and the United States, Montana sapphire sometimes showed pink fluorescence. The yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka with apricot or orange fluorescence."

 

[LD]

When chromium is added to colourless corundum you get a ruby! So I don't think it's that unusual. How do you know for sure this is a natural corundum?

Whatever if it is/isn't - if it's white in daylight and then pink/violet IN ALL OTHER LIGHTS then this isn't fluorescence. This is evidence of a colour shift. You need to get a backlight to test for fluor. I suspect it will have fluor as most colour changers do.

http://www.hnxxgy.com/Industry_News/2012041788.html

"Luminance: short wave ultraviolet light, ruby can be found in the red fluorescence, and under the long-wave intensity is higher than the short-wave sunlight also can stimulate red fluorescence, but containing Fe by weak fluorescence. Sapphire general non-fluorescence, with Cr, Sri Lanka and the United States, Montana sapphire sometimes showed pink fluorescence. The yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka with apricot or orange fluorescence."

I read your article. Irrespective of what it says, chromium makes corundum red. Please do a basic internet search to see this is fact.

How are you testing fluoresence? I know how to test it but I'm asking you HOW you're testing it? What are you using?

 

[minousbijoux]

I did not read the article but the source is the newsletter for a furnace melting factory? Since when are they at the forefront of gemological information/research?

 

[chrono]

Sapphire (all colours except red) and ruby (only red colour) are corundum. Rubies are coloured by either chromium, iron or both.

I am a bit puzzled. If it fluorescences pink, shouldn't it be pinkish under daylight and not white? Sunlight has lots of UV.

 

[LD]

Sapphire (all colours except red) and ruby (only red colour) are corundum. Rubies are coloured by either chromium, iron or both.

I am a bit puzzled. If it fluorescences pink, shouldn't it be pinkish under daylight and not white? Sunlight has lots of UV.

This is why I'm really not sure what this is and why I asked for confirmation of the colours and why the OP thinks the stone has fluor.

If you recall I had a yellow diamond that had strong blue fluor. In sunlight the blue fluor cancelled out the yellow and the stone became almost white BUT out of sunlight the diamond was yellow. So the colours and lighting conditions that the OP has stated is highly confusing.

 

[Anarkali]

That's the reason I did start a Topic about my question, because it's impossible to find any answers about the PINK fluor. But as I can clearly see regarding Chromium content, stated a lot of places on the internet, is this:

"Pink sapphires come in very pale baby pinks to vivid, almost magenta, intense pinks. Right now, the most coveted pink sapphire colors are highly saturated purplish red hues with a medium tone—these are often described as “hot pink” or “bubble-gum pink.” Pink corundum is colored by traces of chromium. Very high chromium concentrations will create a ruby, and lower concentrations create pink sapphires. If the trace element titanium is also included in the crystal structure, the sapphire will have a more purplish pink hue."

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Education2/sapphire-varieties/pink-sapphires/

So I'm wondering if my sapphire is very faint PINK, and because of the sun it just looks white, because of very low Chromium content? I got absolutely no clue.

Regarding the how I test for fluor: I use UV (SW), UV (LW), and sometimes blacklight.

 

[LD]

We DO understand about corundum. Red is ruby, all other colours are sapphire.

Pink sapphires are common. Pink rubies are sapphires - unless you live in Asia and then the tolerance for what is/isn't a Ruby is different and pink sapphires MAY be considered Rubies.

Moving on ........... what you're saying about fluorescence doesn't make sense. Let's say, for argument's sake, you have a pink sapphire. You would see a pink sapphire during the day at all times (not white). Pink fluorescence would just make it more pink NOT white. If you had a pink sapphire that turned to violet in the evening it would be a colour shifting sapphire (like the one I've shown below) but it still wouldn't look white in daylight. If you then used a backlight (ie a UV pen that omits a blue or violet light) the fluorescence would then change the stone to a vivid colour. I don't understand how you can be seeing white in daylight and then pink in incandescent AND you're saying it has pink fluorescence. Chrono explained that fluoresence would be more visible to the naked eye (in that it would have an effect on the stone) during daylight and would make it look pink.

If you look at photos 2 and 3 you'll see a purple sapphire (photo 2) and for reference to show you, this has pink fluor (photo 3). The sapphire is photographed sitting next to a Sphene that has NO fluor. During the day, this purple sapphire can sometimes look slightly blue but it never looks white. If pink fluor made a gemstone go white in daylight then this stone should do the same and you can see it doesn't.

What you've described in terms of colours/lighting conditions doesn't make sense and doesn't point to fluorescence - that's why it's so confusing.

Can you post photos of the stone in the different lighting conditions and also a photograph of what you're using to test fluor please? That might help.