What does red fluorescence in blue sapphire mean?

[1001smiles]

Thanks for all the responses.
So sounds like color-shift spinels and sapphires may contain chromium and have some red fluorescence? Is it chromium that gives the slightly purplish hue to the blue sapphire and causes the color shift to violet?
I think I'm way over my head here, I should just enjoy the pretty sapphire

 

[Pandora II]

I second that! Pandora, does that mean that my blue sapphire with a violet modifier has layers of pink in it not visible to the naked eye as well? I can't see any with my loupe, but I would LOVE that! How cool would that be?!

I honestly don't know...

I know with mine I was able to see the zones... I had quite a panic I can tell you. It didn't look like synthetic spinel in terms of the glow - much weaker and from areas rather than the whole stone, but I wasn't expecting it at all.

 

[As3fthjkl]

hello, i know this is now almost 10 years old but i came across this thread while doing my own searching for why my sapphire turns red under UV light and i felt i had some relevant knowledge.

I recently acquired a colour changing sapphire, that is lab grown but has some interesting inclusions that had my gemologist not 100% certain so im looking around for another one but it turns a BEAUTIFUL hot pink under UV light, purple in fluorescent light, and a lovely deep blue in natural light.

do you know if your gem stone is colour changing? i know you made mention of some purple hues in the stone.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Here are some Umba Sapphires that are various blue hues and some purple. Unheated, natural. Daylight and UV light. As you can see many are a strong reaction.

 

[Avondale]

do you know if your gem stone is colour changing?

Mine shifts towards violet in warm light, yes. I’m under the impression that’s common with blue sapphires that exhibit red fluorescence.

 

[Starstruck8]

hello, i know this is now almost 10 years old but i came across this thread while doing my own searching for why my sapphire turns red under UV light and i felt i had some relevant knowledge.

I recently acquired a colour changing sapphire, that is lab grown but has some interesting inclusions that had my gemologist not 100% certain so im looking around for another one but it turns a BEAUTIFUL hot pink under UV light, purple in fluorescent light, and a lovely deep blue in natural light.

do you know if your gem stone is colour changing? i know you made mention of some purple hues in the stone.

As others have said, many violet-purple sapphires shift towards red in warmer lighting and fluoresce red in LW UV. Both effects are caused by chromium.

These two stones are both clearly purple rather than blue, but they illustrate these effects. Both shift redder in incandescent light (don't know about fluorescent light) and both fluoresce red in LW UV. Upper pics in daylight, lower in LW UV.

 

[Catmom]

Well after seeing this thread I had to go check my no heat color shifter blue sapphire and yes, it does have red fluorescence.

 

[As3fthjkl]

Well after seeing this thread I had to go check my no heat color shifter blue sapphire and yes, it does have red fluorescence.

everybody has a secret red sapphire!!