Gemology Lingo: How To Talk Diamonds Like a Pro

Brilliance — When light enters a diamond, some of the light is reflected back as white light. This white light is called brilliance. When people talk about a diamond being “bright,” they’re talking about brilliance.

Fire — Some of the light that enters a diamond is separated into its spectral colors (the colors of the rainbow) and reflected back. This colored light you see in a diamond is called fire.

Scintillation — The “sparkling” effect you see in a diamond is brilliance and fire, plus movement. When a woman who is wearing a wedding ring moves her hand, and you can see the stunning flash and sparkle from across the room, that’s scintillation. Scintillation is the beautiful benefit of a diamond that is well-cut.