Crystals That Change Color

Blue Garnet

• For every 1,000 gemstones uncovered, one will be crystallized blue garnet. Because it is naturally blue, the gem absorbs blue shading from florescent lighting, making it appear deep blue. The color turns purple under incandescent lighting. The color change is due to small amounts of chromium and vanadium, minerals that absorb all colors except blue or purple. A gemstone reflects a certain color because that gemstone does not absorb that particular color in the light spectrum. For example, a blue garnet will absorb all colors on the light spectrum except blue, making it reflect that color.

Sapphire

• Sapphires are best known for their blue coloring, but they also come in shades of red and yellow. Like the blue garnet, blue sapphire looks rejuvenated under florescent lighting. The blue color fades in incandescent lighting, yet both the yellow and red colors in sapphires are enhanced. This is due to incandescent lighting's warm tone. The yellow and red sapphires pick up the warm colors reflected from the light.

Alexandrite

• Alexandrite is named for the former Czar of Russia and was first found in the Ural Mountains. It also might have the most obvious color-changing quality of any gemstone. While in fluorescent lighting and daylight, the color of Alexandrite appears a soft, sea-foam green; in incandescent lighting, it turns purple. The warm reflections of the incandescent lighting appear violet, rather than detracting from the soft green.

Tourmaline

• Unlike the gemstones that change color only in specified lighting, Tourmaline can actually be two different colors. This is due to its mineral composition. While most gemstones are crystallized from one specific mineral, Tourmaline can grow from several, including iron, chromium, vanadium and manganese. It's most common to see Tourmaline color mixtures of pink and green, which are crystallized from iron and manganese.