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the exhibition
of color
appendix b
fancy white modern antique
pear brilliant diamond
parti-color blue/yellow kite
step cut sapphire
fancy deep pink-brown
round brilliant diamond
purple cut corner rectangle
step cut sapphire
BEHOLD... COLOR!
the museum of misfit inclusions: a glossary of the weird and wonderful
A big part of what makes a Misfit a Misfit is color!
Color in gemstones has a wide range of influences: imperfections in genetic makeup, exposure to radiation, inclusions or the presence of trace elements. In diamonds, we categorize color by the stone’s general appearance, including salt and pepper, trapiche and rustic diamonds, extending all the way to the rarest “Fancy Colors,” the diamonds that are the most rich in color and are some of the rarest of all the Misfits. Similarly, sapphires come in every color imaginable, usually because of trace elements, and may feature particular optical phenomena based on their inclusions. (Browse our Museum of Misfit Inclusions for more on inclusions.)
Below is the full glossary of the many colors you can find in diamonds and sapphires.
APPENDIX B: THE EXHIBITION OF COLOR
a comprehensive guide to color in diamonds and sapphires
Diamonds
Sapphires
Asterism
The optical phenomenon found in star sapphires, occurring when dense rutile inclusions cause the light to reflect a six-star pattern.
Color zoning
Areas of different color within a sapphire, often appearing along the hexagonal growth lines, or as distinct areas of color like in parti-color sapphires.
Crystal
Inclusions in gemstones are often other gemstone crystal, such as: hematite, calcite, mica, spinel or zircon.
Feather
A feather is an internal fracture in a diamond (or sapphire), often with a feathery appearance (hence the name); feathers can often cause a rainbow to appear inside a gemstone because of light travelling through trapped air and causing dispersion.
Fingerprint
Occurs in sapphires when healing happens during formation, a liquid-like inclusion resembling a fingerprint.
Growth Lines
Because sapphire crystals form as hexagonal prisms, hexagonal growth lines will often appear within a stone, as color zoning or with rutile forming along the crystal axes.
Opalescence
Typically caused when microscopic rutile silk inclusions cause the light to scatter, giving some sapphires an appearance like an internal glow.
Parti-color
A type of color zoning where two or more distinct colors within the same stone; sometimes referred to as bi-color sapphires, when the sapphire has only two colors.
Rutile
A mineral inclusion common in sapphires that forms as long needles; many parallel rutile needles have a "silk" appearance, often creating a sheen or opalescence, and the reason for asterism in sapphires.
Silk
A mineral inclusion common in sapphires that forms as long needles; many parallel rutile needles have a "silk" appearance, often creating a sheen or opalescence, and the reason for asterism in sapphires.
Zircon Halo
In heated sapphires, a zircon halo occurs when a zircon crystal inclusion bursts during the heating process, resembling a small, clear disc-like inclusion.
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