Crystals and Light

Crystals embody pure light energy because they absorb and reflect light rays. As white light passes through a gem, certain wavelengths may be filtered out, therefore, those that survive the passage give the stone its color. The gem embodies the power of the colored ray it reflects. When light passes through a gem or crystal without interference, it is said to be transparent. If a particular wavelength of color is absorbed, the remaining rays will pass through the stone and give it a certain color. If only some colors pass through the gem, it is said to be translucent or opaque. So translucent means allowing a passage of light although not a clear one.

Lastly, for crystals and light, we have opaque stones, which are impervious to light. These stones will absorb all the colors of the spectrum, except for one color wavelength. This color will be reflected back, giving the stone its color.  Therefore, if all wavelengths are absorbed except green, the stone will appear green. If all the light is absorbed, the stone will appear black.

S ometimes the interaction of light with a gemstone produces not a single color, but several. Gems like the diamond have the capacity to separate out the different wavelengths as light passes through them so that all the colors of the rainbow are produced. Other minerals also have this “fire” quality such as found in the fire opal.