Cosmic gems come in a variety of colours. In order to understand the dynamics of colour in gemstones you must distinguish several terms used in the gem & jewellery market place. Here is a primer on the different terms used in describing colour of cosmic gems.
1. Colour: Refers generally to the wavelength comparison of the sunlight. There are three primary colours: red, yellow and blue. Secondary colours are orange, green and purple. Tertiary colours are: yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green, yellow-green.
2. Hue: A quality of colour that modifies the basic colour visible to the naked eye by another. Pea-cock hue is made of dominant green colour with associated blue colour
3. Tone: A quality of colour with reference to the degree of absorption of light. It can range from light to dark. The gradations of tone are: very dark, dark, medium, light and very light
4. Shade: A gradation or variety of colour in reference to the degree of darkness
5. Tint: A gradation or variety of colour in reference to the degree of lightness
6. Intensity: The degree of purity of colour. Gem & jewellery industry uses alternate terms such as strength, saturation, purity and Chroma in place of intensity. The gradations of intensity are: strong, medium, fair and weak. A gemstone that has strong intensity reflects a pure colour without any brown/grey hues.
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