DIAMONDVIEW

DIAMONDVIEW

DiamondView as the name suggests, was developed by the Diamond Trading Company to screen diamonds for determination of natural and synthetic origin. The instrument basically is an imaging system, which uses the short-wave ultraviolet light below ~225 nm. The sample is targeted with the ultraviolet light and fluorescent reactions are observed through a CCD camera, which captures the fluorescent reactions and display them on the monitor through software. DiamondView not only assists in observing the fluorescence of the sample, but also its growth pattern as the CCD camera magnifies the sample, enabling to view the structure properly, against a gemmological ultraviolet lamp. The fluorescence image produced is of the surface or sub-surface up to few microns. It also assists in observing 'phosphorescence' of a sample.

The fluorescent reactions not only indicate the presence of impurities but also the conditions in which a gem has formed. Therefore, the fluorescence in many gems such as diamond, ruby or sapphire follows the growth pattern or crystal structure, and this helps to differentiate between natural and synthetic counterparts, and in some cases, treated. 

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