Final answer:
The false statement about an improperly cut gem is that it will always be larger than a perfectly cut gem. Cutting a gem maximizes brilliance, color, and symmetry, not necessarily size. Diamonds sparkle due to dispersion and total internal reflection, not because of their clear colorless nature. The correct answer is option: c) It will always be larger than a perfectly cut gem.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement regarding an improperly cut gem that is false, as compared to a perfectly cut one, is that it will always be larger than a perfectly cut gem. A perfectly cut gem is designed to maximize brilliance and color distribution; symmetry is also a crucial aspect.
An improperly cut gem may indeed lack brilliance, have uneven color distribution, or lack symmetry, but it is not true to say it will always be larger since cutting aims to achieve proper proportions rather than just size.
A high-quality diamond’s ability to sparkle with flashes of brilliant color when illuminated by white light is due to the phenomenon known as dispersion, along with total internal reflection and a high index of refraction. This causes light to be split into its spectral colors, creating the sparkling effect known as 'fire.'
The cutting of the diamond's facets ensures the internal reflection of light, concentrating it before exiting, hence the bright sparkle. Colored diamonds have their color due not to this effect but to crystal lattice defects and inclusions of other materials.