(2) Diamonds get their brilliance from three things: reflection, refraction and dispersion. Reflection is the light that hits the diamond and is immediately bounced back up, giving it an instantaneous shine. While this glimmer is impressive, it’s only the very tip of the true radiance a diamond displays. Only a portion of the light hitting a diamond is reflected;the rest travels through it. As the light moves through the diamond, it is scattered and fractured,creating the sparkle that diamonds are known for. This is the refraction. In essence,diamonds are tiny, complicated prisms; the light enters through the top, and then is angled around the inside of the diamond before being aimed back towards the top and out through the surface. This creates a rainbow effect(dispersion), and adds to the shine. This refraction and dispersion also creates natural light and dark areas in the refracted light, depending on where the light hits along the planes of the diamond.