Buffalo Head Hills kimberlite field They have a low carbonate content, low abundances of late-stage minerals such as phlogopite and ilmenite, and a high abundance of fresh, coarse olivine. Based on examination of more than 700 examples, the BHH diamonds range in color from colorless to yellow and brown, and most are transparent and colorless. The majority are sharp-edged octahedra, but ~45% were dodecahedral due to resorption of octahedra. Inclusions of garnet, olivine, clinopyroxene and rutile were found in a few specimens. Buffalo Head Hills kimberlite field The Buffalo Head Hills kimberlite field is a group of kimberlitic volcanic pipes or diatremes in north-central Alberta,
Gemstone irradiation Gemstone irradiation The gemstone irradiation is a process in which a gemstone is artificially irradiated in order to enhance its optical properties. High levels of ionizing radiation can change the atomic structure of the gemstone's crystal lattice, which in turn alters the optical properties within it. As a result, the gemstone's color may be significantly altered or the visibility of its inclusions may be lessened. The process, widely practised in jewelry industry, is done in either a nuclear reactor for neutron bombardment, a particle accelerator for electron bombardment, or a gamma ray facility using the radioactive isotope cobalt-60. Irradiation has