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 Post subject: What does term "night stones" mean ?
PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 2:46 pm 
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hello ! :D
Reading this book Webster R. Gems: Their Sources, Descriptions, and Identification I have met such a term "night stones" in chapter about ruby and sapphire.
Quote:
Cut stones, which make excellent night stones, often contain "silk", and according to some reports also contain inclusions of green mica.

Could you please help me to undersatnd what is these night stones ?
Thx :D
ps - :oops: one lingvo question - why somewhere it is geMology/geMologist and somewhere else - geMMology/geMMologist ?

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:05 pm 
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Hi TeaMonster!
One thing at a time here.
Some gems are referred to as evening or night stones because they are more beautiful viewed with incandescent light than with daylight.

As far as gemology vs. gemmology the former is the American spelling :smt001 and the latter, the British. :smt099

Similar to color vs. colour; favor vs. favour, etc.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:59 pm 
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Thank you very much, Barbra ! :D
I got it :wink:

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:51 pm 
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Aren't some gemstones like Kunzite refered to as night stones also because the color could fade in sunlight... am I imagaining that??
I think I read that the irradiated Green quartz, prasiolite can fade and I seem to have read somewhere it was being sold as a night stone. Can't remember where I read or heard that though.

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Cat

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:04 pm 
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Yes, Cat, some stones prone to fading in bright light are also called "evening" stones. I recall kunzite and morganite are among them, as well as some amethysts. I would imagine hiddenite, being spodumene along with kunzite, might be among them. I'm sure others will recall more.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:14 pm 
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Ahhh!! Thanks MoDo! I knew I was getting the term wrong! :D

Ohhh that is cranky making for Morganite as it is pretty much the only pink colored gemstone I like, and I have wanted a big one for a while to wear all the time... good to know though
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Cat

Morning Dove wrote:
Yes, Cat, some stones prone to fading in bright light are also called "evening" stones. I recall kunzite and morganite are among them, as well as some amethysts. I would imagine hiddenite, being spodumene along with kunzite, might be among them. I'm sure others will recall more.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:50 pm 
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I didn't know that Morganite was also subject to fading...


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:10 pm 
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That's my understanding, 'Nuck ... but I could be wrong. Perhaps someone with more morganite experience will chime in here :) .

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:23 pm 
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Only know of Kunzite to come with a warning for fading due to light exposure during day-wear.

Obviously, other stones fade too, only too fast (some topaz) or too slow (some Amethyst) to be object of any meaningful wear warning (= being an 'evening gem').


Aside the color fading thing, I doubt that these terms of 'evening stone' or 'night stone' have a precise, quantifiable, technical meaning. They are used in several different contexts, in relation to the look of the stones or fashion. I can think of three uses:

At least two about color:
- to say that the color of some stone looks better in artificial lighting (e.g. red stones in incandescent indoor lighting)
- to say that the color of a stone looks good even in artificial light (e.g., a sapphire is not really that dark - it looks blue rather than black even in lower intensity, indoor lighting. A little flattery ;) ) Similar to saying that some gem looks good in 'all lights'.

Also about cut and social manner of wearing jewelry... Both apply to diamonds. The old cut styles are sometimes said to be 'night gems' for looking better in candle light. Which doesn't make the diamond itself an 'evening stone' - unless you go by some Victorian code of conduct that made wearing diamond jewelry polite for evening only. Oddly, this appears to be still valid at least in some places.


P.S. Don't know how old the use of this 'candle light' term is, but the mention of a 'candle' as source of artificial light might have a point. Current indoor lighting is very diverse, and this makes the phrase even less meaningful when it refers to color in artificial light. For example, halogen light definitely does not help warm color stones, doesn't make old diamonds look better... none of that.


These are all cases of use I can remember and there doesn't seem to be any single underlying property that might define the term 'evening/night stone'.


I would sure want to know about Morganite fading! How about other beryls?

And pearls! I know that sun bleaching is/was a way to whiten them. But how about the desirable black and yellow? Do color stabilize after initial exposure? Does anyone care? :roll:


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:26 pm 
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The good news is, some kunzites can have their color revived through irradiation :P (hmmm ... perhaps that's not really good news :? ).

Now that spring is here and the sun is actually shining in West Virginia, perhaps I'll sacrifice one of my morganites to sun worship to see if anything happens.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:39 pm 
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I don't know about night stones but I recently learned what night soil is. LOL


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:51 pm 
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Actually, some types of Morganite is left out in strong sunlight for a week or so to make it turn pink. I think the orangy colors turn pink in the sun. Low temp heating can do it too, but if memory serves, a lot of it is irradiated.

africanuck wrote:
I didn't know that Morganite was also subject to fading...

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Last edited by HME on Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:52 pm 
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:lol: I sense a good story behind that statement, Jason ... just not sure if I want to hear it! 8)

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:37 pm 
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LOL - maybe Jason should explain that phrase because all that comes to my mind is that commercial with those kids explaining why they wet the bed! :smt105

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PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:09 am 
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Crystal Star wrote:
LOL - maybe Jason should explain that phrase because all that comes to my mind is that commercial with those kids explaining why they wet the bed! :smt105


You're on the right track! Night soil is why one used to keep a little pot under the bed at night. :D:D:D


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