The previous two articles in this series described the origins of color in gems that derive from isolated structures of atomic dimensions—an atom (chromium in emerald), a small molecule (the carbonate group in Maxixe beryl), or particular groupings of atoms (Fe2 +-0-Fe3 + units in cordierite). The final part of this series is concerned with colors explained by band theory, such as canary yellow diamonds, or by physical optics, such as play-of-color in opal. In the case of band theory, the color-causing entity is the very structure of the entire crystal; in the case of physical phenomena, it is of microscopic dimension, but considerably larger than the clusters of a few atoms previously discussed.
The previous two articles in this series described the origins of color in gems that derive from isolated structures of atomic dimensions—an atom (chromium in emerald), a small molecule (the carbonate group in Maxixe beryl), or particular groupings of atoms (Fe2 +-0-Fe3 + units in cordierite). The final part of this series is concerned with colors explained by band theory, such as canary yellow diamonds, or by physical optics, such as play-of-color in opal. In the case of band theory, the color-causing entity is the very structure of the entire crystal; in the case of physical phenomena, it is of microscopic dimension, but considerably larger than the clusters of a few atoms previously discussed.
