Tenebrescence is an incredibly rare gem property that is also known as reversible photochromism. It describes the phenomena within a mineral or gemstone that will change color when exposed to sunlight but will slowly turn back to its original color when taken back into a darkened room.
It is different to the color change phenomenon because that describes an instant change. If you move between daylight and candlelight with an Alexandrite, for example, the color will immediately flick between green and red. With tenebrescence, the process is slower and will hold for a little while after the gem is moved between light sources. The time it takes and the depth of the color will vary between gemstones.
It can be seen in the gemstone Hackmanite, a rare variety of Sodalite which was first discovered in Greenland in 1896. When mined the gem is a strong violet color, but fades to a grey color when exposed to sunlight or another ultraviolet light source. Interestingly, Hackmanite can also be found in Afghanistan and Myanmar (Burma) but with a color shift in the opposite direction. Mined white or clear, they will shift towards a reddish-pink or violet color in sunlight, as seen in our Burmese specimen in these pictures.
One of the most unusual things is that it’s an effect that doesn’t wear off, it’s believed to be repeatable indefinitely. Heat treating, however, will remove the tenebrescent properties forever. As well as Hackmanite, tenebrescence has been observed in Spodumene, some Scapolite varieties and Tugtupite. This photochromic process has been recreated synthetically and is used in the lenses of glasses that darken automatically in bright sunlight and lighten again when indoors.
View our limited range of UV Color Change Hackmanite on our Gem Collector website here.
MORE GEMSTONE PHENOMENA
Asterism
Aventurescence
Chatoyancy
Fluorescence and Phosphorescence
Labradorescence
Polymorphism
Twinning
