laser inscription

[jake88]

Hi everyone

I am thinking of laser inscribing a personal message on the princess cut diamond that I got for my fieance. The stone does have a cert number already and I did get a 10x loupe but I have a hard time seeing even that. So here is my questions. In order for her to see the message that is going to be on the stone, what magnification should I use? and are all loupe brands created equal? Thanks

 

[trichrome]

My advice would be to use a microscope with a magnification around 30-40x....

When you're speaking about magnification using the "x" like in 20x, 30x, 40x
you're referring to a certain amount of diopters.....hmmm..... it would be
very difficult to explain it to you in a couple of words... not all manufacturers are using the
same reference point...the 10x loupe of one company might not be the same (exactly) as another
company....

Trichrome.

 

[jake88]

So from you answer, can I assume that a 30x loupe will not be able to do the trick?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I think you could pull it off with a 20x loupe.

The inscription is tricky to spot with a 10x loupe, and a 30+x loupe is extremely difficult to work with because of the limited focal distance (10x focal distance = 1 inch, 20x focal distance = 1/2 inch).

 

[pqcollectibles]

I just recently purchased an inscribed H&A. We had it independently checked to verify it matched the cert, but Hubby wanted to see if he could find the Cert Number inscription himself. He is into coins/currency collecting. He has a 20X Hastings, Bausch & Lomb "Hallmark" loupe that he used to read the cert number on the girdle of my diamond. He said the hard part was finding the inscription on the girdle. But once he did, he was easily able to read it.

Hope this helps.

 

[jake88]

Thank you all for your answers. That gives me an idea.

Would anyone know a place on the internet to get a 20x loupe? I have found some, but they were in the $80-$90 range. Is that what I am expecting to pay for these or are there less expensive places?

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hey Jake!

I found a Coin Supplies dealer that carries the one Hubby bought.

http://www.numismaticproperties.com/bausch.htm

I think the price is around $55 now. Gee I didn't realize he'd bought his so long ago. I swear he paid around $30 for his. When I checked some of his coin supplies bookmarks, I found there are new pocket microscopes available now for about $60 and up.

You might try searching the net for coin supplies dealers. Jewelers aren't the only ones to use high powered magnification. The coin and currency trade is full of unscrupulous people who try to sell knock off coins and ironed/straightened bills for huge profit.

 

[jake88]

sigh, that's what I thought. Thanks pqcollectibles
for checking for me. I'll search some more to see if I could get a better price.