CONCLUDING REMARKS
Testing of diamonds with various primary defect centers has shown that to define their fluorescence characteristics, a UV source with consistent output energy is necessary. Traditional gemological UV lamps and light sources used in the diamond industry produce widely variable emissions, making it difficult to achieve reproducible fluorescence observations. LED light sources can provide narrow, well constrained UV emissions to produce more reliable diamond fluorescence reactions.
This study characterizes the fluorescence generated by the most common defect centers in diamond. Changes in fluorescence relative to excitation energy were carefully examined to determine where fluorescence maxima occur for each defect, as well as the peak positions and band shapes that can impact fluorescence colors and intensities. Our findings demonstrate the diamond industry’s need for a standardized UV excitation source, to provide consistent and reproducible determinations of fluorescence.