Gemological tools in our lab
Of all the tools used by gemologists the best known to the public is the loupe. A loupe for gemological purposes shall be of a quality and type that is corrected for optical as well as color distortion, preferably with an aperture of 20 mm or more. One of the main price setting properties of a gemstone is its weight. To get the correct weight you need a precision scale. The color of the gemstone has to be described with hue, tone and saturation which demands correct lights, experience, and some kind of reference. The reference can be some kind of standardized color chart, a electronic colorimeter or, for the purpose made, transparent plastic reference pieces. For diamonds color grading is done with the aid of a so called master set. Diamonds perfectly graded and used as comparison stones under controlled lights in a color neutral environment.
The identification of gem species is usually done with the aid of a refractometer, a polariscope, a spectroscope and some means of density measurement. To separate natural completely untreated stones from treated or synthetic counterparts is commonly done with a microscope with a magnification grade from 10x to 100x. In some cases even bigger magnification can be needed. Today some treatments as well as synthetic diamonds are impossible to detect without the aid of advanced instruments. This can be done only in the most well equipped laboratories.
To the right you have links to images of the different tools we are using here at Swedish Gem. (to come)
These are our main tools. More advanced testing can, if needed, be done through more well equipped laboratories run by friends and partners.
Digital spectrometer »
GemmoRaman 532 »
(to come during 2014)
The loupes »
The Microscopes »