Journal article
STUDY OF THE BLUE MOON DIAMOND
Gems & gemology, Vol.50(4), pp.280-286
2014
Abstract
The Blue Moon diamond, discovered in January 2014 at the historic Cullinan mine in South Africa, is of significance from both trade and scientific perspectives. The 29.62 ct rough yielded a 12.03 ct Fancy Vivid blue, Internally Flawless gem. The authors were provided the opportunity to study this rare diamond at the Smithsonian Institution before it went on exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the amount of uncompensated boron in the diamond was 0.26 ± 0.04 ppm, consistent with measurements of several large type IIb blue diamonds previously studied. After exposure to short-wave ultraviolet light, the Blue Moon displayed orange-red phosphorescence that remained visible for up to 20 seconds. This observation was surprising, as orange-red phosphorescence is typically associated with diamonds of Indian origin, such as the Hope and the Wittelsbach-Graff. Time-resolved phosphorescence spectra exhibited peaks at 660 and 500 nm, typical for natural type II blue diamonds. As with most natural diamonds, the Blue Moon showed strain-induced birefringence.
Details
- Title
- STUDY OF THE BLUE MOON DIAMOND
- Authors/Creators
- Eloise Gaillou - École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de ParisJeffrey E. Post - Institut de Recherche en Génie Civil et MécaniqueKeal S. Byrne - Smithsonians Natl Museum Nat Hist, Washington, DC USAJames E. Butler - Naval Res Lab, Washington, DC 20375 USA
- Publication Details
- Gems & gemology, Vol.50(4), pp.280-286
- Publisher
- Gemological Institute of America Inc. (GIA)
- Number of pages
- 7
- Identifiers
- 991005621266107891
- Copyright
- © 2014 Gemological Institute of America
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Engineering and Energy
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
Metrics
53 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 5 Physics
- 5.188 Deposition, Hardening & Coating
- 5.188.262 Diamond Films
- Web Of Science research areas
- Mineralogy
- ESI research areas
- Geosciences