Images by Sammantha Maclachlan
Once again, Sammantha has sent us another amazing photomicrograph, this time, bundles of rutile needles in a rock crystal quartz cabochon that look like geomagnetic solar flares?
How Maclachlan Created this Image
“This is a quartz cabochon with inclusions of brookite and rutile,” says Mclachlan. “It’s shot at 60x, and is a stack of 25 images.”
“The stone is placed between crossed polarising filters… and a first order red compensator was added.”
First Order Red Compensator: For use in (digital) photomicrography, polarized light (birefringence colors) can be enhanced using a first-order red compensator. A first-order red compensator is a specialized optical plate (sometimes referred to as a “filter”) used primarily in polarized light microscopy to enhance the contrast of light and enhance the colors of birefringence in doubly refractive (anisotropic) gem materials. This plate is used above the stone just below the analyzer between the crossed polaroid plates (the bottom plate – the polarizer, and the top plate – the analyzer) of a polariscope.
You can read about the use of a first order red compensator in Nathan Renfro’s Gems & Gemology featured article “DIGITAL PHOTOMICROGRAPHY FOR GEMOLOGISTS” here.
(For a mineralogical focused explanation of polarization, birefringence, and the use of special optical plates, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTI6KypQTJk)
Sammantha Maclachlan is an accomplished gemmologist and photomicrographer. Her attention to gemmological detail and beauty is evident within the incredible shots shown here and in the Roskin Gem News Report online magazine. We thank Sammantha for sharing her images, and welcome you to enjoy the page!
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