• stephen01king
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    4 hours ago

    But isn’t their shine mostly due to the internal reflection rather than external refraction? That’s why the gems are cut angularly, to help with the internal reflection.

    • TheEighthDoctor
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      3 hours ago

      You can only observe the external properties since you are on the outside

      • stephen01king
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        3 hours ago

        By that logic, glass mirrors also work by refraction, because it refracts out of the glass before it reaches your eye.