Cats See Things Invisible to Humans | Jewelry’s Hidden Magic
Cats are considered by many to be symbols of mysticism due to their elegant, flexible bodies and their intense gaze that can "magnetize" anyone.
According to researchers, there is another reason why cats are considered "mysterious creatures": because they can see things our human eyes can't.
Jewelry and the Mystical Connection to Cats
In many cultures, cats are associated with protective symbols and mystical power, and this has extended to jewelry design as well. Pieces featuring cats or feline-inspired designs, often crafted with gemstones like opals or amethysts, are believed to hold protective or magical properties.
These mystical qualities reflect the cat's ability to see beyond the visible spectrum, much like how opals reflect light in unexpected and dazzling ways.
Cats, like other animals, have the so-called psychedelic vision, the ability to see stripes on the petals of flowers or tiny patterns on the wings of birds that are invisible to the human eye. The secret behind this "supervision" is ultraviolet light.
Cats See What Humans Can't
According to scientific studies, cats, dogs, and other animals can perceive this type of light that humans cannot.
"There are many examples of things that reflect UV rays that UV-sensitive animals can perceive, whereas the anatomical structure of the human eye does not allow them to be perceived," explained Ronald Douglas, a professor of biology at City University London who has conducted studies on the subject.
In a similar vein, UV light has been known to reveal hidden qualities in jewelry as well. Many gemstones, including diamonds and certain sapphires, can fluoresce under UV light, displaying beautiful hidden hues that are invisible to the naked eye. Much like cats, jewelry can possess an unseen brilliance, revealing its true nature only when exposed to the right kind of light.
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Reindeer can also see polar bears by reflecting UV rays in snow, an essential adaptation in the Arctic environment, while most humans see only ... white snow.
Explaining The Mystery Behind The "Supervision" Of Cats
Light is composed of a spectrum of colors. Visible light (which humans can see) ranges from red to violet, and beyond that are ultraviolet wavelengths (at the other end is infrared). It is well known that many animals can see ultraviolet waves, including some insects (such as bees), birds, fish, certain amphibians, certain reptiles, certain mammals (even rodents, marsupials, and bats).
This might explain why cats show so much interest in ordinary objects, such as a piece of paper. Chemicals that are added to paper, and textiles, in order to make objects brighter, absorb ultraviolet light, and they may look different in the eyes of cats who are so sensitive to UV rays.
Similarly, ultraviolet light is used in the jewelry world to evaluate gemstones. Jewelers often use UV light to check the authenticity of diamonds and other gems, as it can reveal imperfections or fluorescence that aren't visible to the naked eye. It's almost as if cats and jewelers share a secret ability to see the hidden beauty in objects others might overlook.
The same phenomenon also explains cats' night vision. "Until now, no one believed that these mammals could see in ultraviolet light at night, and the discovery may explain some seemingly bizarre details in their behavior," said study author Ron Douglas.
The human eye blocks these ultraviolet waves, but some animals' eyes perceive them, they reach the retina so the animals can see at night.
Jewelry and the Invisible Spectrum: A Hidden World
Just as cats see what is invisible to human eyes, jewelry often possesses qualities that are hidden until viewed under specific conditions.
From the secret patterns that emerge in certain gemstones under UV light to the way metals and gems react to moonlight or candlelight, the world of jewelry has its own mystical, hidden spectrum of beauty.
