Is my jewelry genuine? Was the diamond in my ring artificially created? Has my inherited piece of jewelry been treated or embellished? What is its value?
The main task of gemmology is to verify the authenticity of gemstones or to observe and evaluate different types and qualities of gemstones. Determining value is, of course, also material determination. An important tool is the gemstone microscope. For example, three-phase inclusions in the emerald can be documented as evidence of a natural emerald and they also reveal the place of origin – in our example, Colombia.
Documentation of professional gemstone evaluations in professional presentations
Increasingly, gemmological investigations by jewelers, gemmologists and stone setters are being documented with photos or videos. Microscope photography is used to create professional presentations for customers. KRÜSS has various high-quality microscope cameras with integrated software and additional PC software (also included free of charge) as well as full HD displays in its portfolio
Gemstones in close-up with microscope photography
Whether monitor, TV, projector, tablet or smartphone: the image can be easily and securely transferred to the desired display via the interfaces of the MKTV8 model microscope camera. It is also possible to create image and video files and save them directly to an SD card. Thanks to the standardized USB 3.0 interface and the C-mount thread, the MKTV8 microscope camera (successor to the MKTV5) can be connected to all commercially available microscopes, macroscopes, endoscopes and objectives. The MK12 camera model has the standardized USB 2.0 interface.
Why are KRÜSS microscope cameras with the software recommended?
The integrated software of the MKTV8 microscope camera also has simple controls and a clear toolbar for camera settings such as exposure, brightness, contrast, white balance, black balance and color adjustment. This turns the simple documentation of a technical gemstone evaluation into a professional presentation.
As seen here in the full HD display, the presence of parallel hollow channels (“rain”) in the light blue stone suggests an aquamarine gemstone in the ring.
Image analysis with the highest accuracy
The highlevel software also allows many options of different methods for segmenting and counting objects in the image. In addition, there are extensive measurement tools for analyzing angles, lines, points, circles, ellipses and more. Inclusions inside the gemstones – such as internal properties like foreign bodies, minerals, liquids, gases, cracks, colour zoning or twin lamellae – can be detected and documented. The example can be seen in the full HD display: long rutile needles crossing at 120° in the sapphire (Dark-field illumination with additional lateral illumination). These also reveal the place of origin: the stone comes from Sri Lanka.
Gemstone investigation with several lighting options
For such gemstone investigations that require multiple illuminations, we also recommend the KSW6000 model Stereo microscope, which is equipped with transmitted light and dark-field illumination, LED gooseneck illumination and a fluorescent lamp. The illuminations can be activated individually or in combination.
Efficient image management and versatile export options
If many projects are produced with microscope photos, then the management and documentation of image files is important. The KRÜSS microscope camera software also offers practical functions for browsing, sorting and batch saving. In addition, a variety of file formats are supported and there are flexible storage options.
The integrated Microsoft Word report, for example, enables images and data to be exported to ready-made Word reports.
