Author: FMS Admin

Fluorescent Display at the TGMS 2022

Fluorescent Display at the TGMS 2022

After a one-year postponement, the 50th anniversary of the FMS was celebrated at the 2022 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show® hosted by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society (TGMS). “The Show That Glows.” The Fluorescent Mineral Society Pavilion, held in the newly finished...

What is Thermoluminescence?

What is Thermoluminescence?

Thermoluminescence is phosphorescence triggered by temperatures above a certain threshold. This should not be confused with incandescence, which occurs at higher temperatures. In thermoluminescence, heat is not the primary source of the energy, only the trigger for...

Fluorescence in Diamonds

Fluorescence in Diamonds

This is an archive of an excellent post in our Fluorescent Minerals Facebook group by Richard David Armstrong.Blue fluorescent diamond under longwave UV light. Photo credit: Svetozar Simov.There have been a couple posts on diamonds the past couple days, so thought I'd...

The FMS at TGMS: 1996 and 2022

The FMS at TGMS: 1996 and 2022

By Alan J. Cherepon, FMS#884, UV Waves vol. 52 n. 2, 2022.The TGMS and Annual Show The Tucson Gem and Mineral Society (TGMS) formed in 1946, and the first Tucson Gem and Mineral Show® was held in a local elementary school in 1955. The show grew to the point that...

The FMS hosts its largest meeting ever!

The FMS hosts its largest meeting ever!

After a one-year postponement, the belated 50th anniversary of the FMS was celebrated at the 2022 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show® hosted by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society (TGMS). “The Show That Glows.” The Fluorescent Mineral Society Pavilion, held in the newly finished addition to the Tucson Convention Center, was a must see, although…

Is my rock really fluorescent?

Is my rock really fluorescent?

A question often asked: “Is the blue fluorescence in this rock real?”. This is a pretty common question, or often a wrong conclusion made by many first starting out in our hobby. Our UV lights have UV bandpass filters (“filter” defined here for our purposes as UV transmitting, visible blocking) which block the visible light…

31st Annual Ultraviolation 2021

31st Annual Ultraviolation 2021

Dennis Michaels (from our Fluorescent Minerals Facebook group) attended his first Ultraviolation show in Oct 2021. He took some amazing photos which really illustrate what this shindig is all about. Every rock is fluorescent. The room is filled with dealer and...

Multicolor Longwave Minerals

Multicolor Longwave Minerals

Everybody is familiar with mineral specimens that fluoresce two or more colors under shortwave UV light. Just think about a classical red-and-green calcite and willemite from Franklin. But are there similar multicolor specimens under longwave?? Mark challenged the...

Synthetic Fluorescent Halite

Synthetic Fluorescent Halite

This article was originally published by Stefano Buzzoni on Nature's Rainbow.To produce crystals at home is an interesting experiment and if they fluoresce, could be “magic”. Furthermore, it’s easy and cheap. The only ingredient you have to use in big quantity is...