Study on Factors Affecting the Transparency of Serpentinite Gemstone from Tai’an, Shangdong, China

Abstract

This paper mainly studied the factors affecting the transparency of a serpentinite gemstone called “Taishanyu.” The color parameters of the samples on the black and white backgrounds under the D65 standard light source were measured using an X-rite SP62 handheld spectrophotometer. The translucency parameter TP was computed to quantitatively characterize the transparency of the samples. Experimental results on the thickness of the sample show that the TP value of the sample is linearly correlated with the thickness and that the transparency increases with the reduction of thickness. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) results show that the chemical composition changes caused by the isomorphism of “Taishanyu” do not significantly affect its transparency. The results of the thermal analysis indicate that the form and content of the water in “Taishanyu” has an effect on its transparency. The mineral particle size, uniformity, and orientation of “Taishanyu” will affect its transparency. The color parameters and TP values of the samples were analyzed, and the results indicate that the transparency of “Taishanyu” is closely related to its color.