Charoite: Silicate Mineral with Luminescence Properties

Charoite luminescence measurements were performed, with two main emission bands centred near 380 and 600 nm. The transformation into new minerals like charoite is caused by heat pressure and, more importantly, the infusion of specific chemicals into the rock. There are small variations in reaction between cathodoluminescence and radioluminescence, but there are larger differences between light and dark coloured charoite. There is an additional band near 820 nm in a dark sample that has a discontinuity in intensity near 170ºC.The loss of water bonded to the structure is thought to be the cause of this feature.  The emission bands in this gem stone are modelled in a way that is consistent with previous proposals.