laser inscription

[marinatchka]

Hi all,
so I''ve been looking intensely at my diamond for some time today and I noticed that on one of the facets of the crown, perfectly parallel to the one of the sides of the table) was something that in the right light and held at the right angle, almost looked like a very very tiny scratch when looked up extremely up close (and again, at the right angle). Being the OCD type person that I am, I freaked out and borrowed a loop from a friend (not sure what power but at least 10x) and noticed what looked like a line, but with what might be tiny letters/numbers (although realy I couldn''t tell).
I''ve never hit my ring with enough force to scratch it and the ring is just as sparkly as the day I got it. After doing a lot of searching on pricescope, I checked my tiffany certificate and it says there is a laser inscription on the crown.
Now, how can it be possible to sort of see the inscription with the naked eye (by no means could I make out the inscription, I just thought it was like a scratch or something)? I always imagined laser inscriptions to be super tiny an donly see with super high powered loupes/microscopes. Again, it''s only with the right lighting and with the right angle. any advice or did I somehow manage to scratch my diamond and the real laser inscription is hidden somewhere else on the crown and I just can''t find it with my loupe.
thanks

 

[neatfreak]

Usually you do need very high powered loupe/microscopes to see the inscription and the prongs often cover some of it too. Can you still see it? Or was this a one time shot? I wonder if a hair is trapped under the setting somewhere...or if your diamond is a VS2 and the primary grade maker was a feather or something...

 

[marinatchka]

the diamond is a VVS1 and on the plot, there are only two very tiny inclusions that are not in the place where I''m seeing this. When i say I see it with the naked eye, it is when looking SUPER close and I can only see a very thin reflection of a line at certain angles. I took the loop and it looked like letters/numbers. I''ve heard on pricescope that inscriptions on the crown can be seen with a 10x loop. I''m just wondering why I can detect it with a naked eye (although it isn''t easy to see)

 

[glitterata]

Wow, you must have amazingly sharp eyes!

Or maybe it''s just a smudge of dirt?

 

[Indira-London]

When you look with a x10 loupe and can see the numbers and letters - that is the laser inscription.

As you can see this with your eyes when very close shows that you are one of the few people gifted with very keen or "super" sight: I have had 3 such clients over the past 6+ years: one was a photographer (used to looking at tiny details), another a microbilogist (used to looking at small things under a microscope) and another was a hedge fund manager!

Do you wear glasses and if so could it be that the glasses are helping to magnify when you view the diamond so closely? One client I had who seemed to have "super" vision only did so which his glasses rather than without.

 

[marinatchka]

i initially thought it was a smudge of dirt until it wouldn''t come off with very thourough cleaning, hence starting my search on pricescope and realizing my stone has an inscription.
actually, i wear glasses but for distances. I''m just very picking when it comes to little things, although it took me three months to find this on the stone. I can''t make out if it actually is writing on the stone with my 10x, it just looks like writing. I will have to search for a stronger loupeto try and read it and settle my mind. I just never thought that it would be visible to the naked eye. My FH took over 1 hr inspecting the stone with a loupe before purchase and never noticed it (and it wasn''t pointed out to him either) so we both thought it was a scratch.
Do these inscriptions tend to fade over time? Would this mean that I would eventually not be able to see it without magnification?
I''m actually a surgical resident so I guess I''m used to looking for tiny little details....

 

[Moh 10]

Yes some people have exceptional visual acuity, which is affected not only by how good their eyes are but how they have trained their brain/eye system to analyze information.
Astronomers cultivate this skill.

BTW seeing more with a loupe is not just about magnification.
It also helps to have a sharper loupe even if it has the same 10x magnification.
Higher magnification with cheap blurry optics may actually reduce your ability to resolve detail.
There are good reasons that so many pros use this $300 Harald Schneider loupe from Germany.

http://www.americanjewelrysupply.com/products/jewelry/loupe4.html

Loupe using tips:
To get the image to be as still as possible a beginner may want to rest both elbows on a table. Position loupe so it is practically touching your eyelashes (don't use mascara). Press both hands against your face. All this stabilizes the image. The more your arms or hands are floating in space the more the image will be moving.

Position the loupe so you look through the center of the lens, where it is sharpest.

Make sure loupe is not at a slight angle, but perpendicular to your eye. If you want to look a little to the left move the diamond, not your eye. Always keep looking straight ahead through the center of the loupe.

Keep both eyes open. Eventually your brain will ignore the other eye. (use your dominant eye - Google this to determine which is dominant) Closing one eye causes eye strain which can reduce your ability to resolve the finest detail with the open eye.

Relax your face and eye muscles. Don't focus using your eye muscles. Move the diamond (not the loupe) in and out to focus while your eye muscles remain relaxed. This will not only prevent eye strain but will improve your ability to resolve even smaller details. Practice by looking away and out a window at the horizon. Then move the loupe and diamond into view without changing your eye muscles.

If you still have trouble resolving small detail, like that laser inscription, try looking away slightly. We all have areas of the retina with less resolving ability when we look directly at something. Looking slightly away can reveal detail we did not see when looking directly at something. Astronomers do this.

Finally, the angle of light may cause details to vanish or suddenly pop into view. Sit near a light or window and move around to change the angle of the light.

 

[oldminer]

I had a woman client this past year who was certain that her VS1 diamond had an eye visible inclusion. I looked at the stone and was convinced that it required 10x to find the inclusion, but this lady was certain that she could see it with no assistance from a magnifier. She wanted to show me and she placed the diamond less than 1 inch from one of her eyes and proceeded to examine the stone close-up. After watching her and listening to her describe what she saw, I became convinced that she had extraordinary vision, the likes of which I had never come across before. A little discussion of the clarity system and how the trade defines "eye-clean" and she was okay with the inclusion in her diamond. She had been worried and afraid, but there really was no problem. Her vision, that was truly unusual.

 

[LGK]

Nearsightedness can also be a factor in superduper closeup vision like yours. And yeah- 99% of people are not going to be able to spot what you spotted w/ your naked eye. I have extremely good closeup vision- nearsighted- but I doubt I could spot a laser inscription! Good thing you have a VVS clarity