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Gem changing color?

Flugufrelsarinn

Flugufrelsarinn

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I was messing around with my 20mw green laser and I decided to shine it into a blue gem (not to sure what kind). Yea, a dumb idea... but anyway, the gem turned into a red color when the laser was shining into it. I immediately stopped cause I thought that was me getting a dose of pure IR. Was that just me damaging my eyes, or was the laser messing with the frequency of the light reflected by the gem?

I am horrible at physics so I couldn't figure this out on my own.
 





mfo

mfo

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Flugufrelsarinn said:
I was messing around with my 20mw green laser and I decided to shine it into a blue gem (not to sure what kind). Yea, a dumb idea... but anyway, the gem turned into a red color when the laser was shining into it. I immediately stopped cause I thought that was me getting a dose of pure IR. Was that just me damaging my eyes, or was the laser messing with the frequency of the light reflected by the gem?

I am horrible at physics so I couldn't figure this out on my own.
Click to expand...

Probably the latter of the two.
 
FireMyLaser

FireMyLaser

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Nothing to worry about, the output turned into red and perhaps some IR as well via florescence, but it is far less then the original output.
 
Greenmechanic

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Watch this video I made. This is using a 405nm, but 532 will fluoresce compounds or minerals also.
 
daguin

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Yeah. It is simple fluorescence. Shine your laser at more stuff. You will be surprised at how many things fluoresce.

Peace,
dave
 
Flugufrelsarinn

Flugufrelsarinn

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Wow, thats cool. I knew rocks could fluorescence, just not induced by a laser.
I think the gem i'm using in blue zircon. If anyone else wants has some and wants to see. Its a pretty deep red, like the blue topaz he showed.
 
kevinmassey

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yeah, my class ring has that same kind of blue stone in it. it glows bright red under 532. also if you want to see something really cool shine a 532 through olive oil. it glows bright orange when your look from the beams origin, but when you look through towards the laser it turns green again, and 405 makes it bright pink.
 
scopeguy20

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Synthetic sapphire is often a gem that will glow red as you saw. I have seen synthetic and natural sapphire glow in red, orange and purple in various stones. And as far as I know natural zircon does not glow. -Glenn
 
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scopeguy20

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Dave, I am not so sure the classic color-change of gems is what these guys are talking about. -GH
 
brtaman

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I have also noticed that some spinel (light blue) has a drastic color change to an almost ruby red under 405nm. :yh:

Just thought I would add.
 
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