Question About Microscopes & Diamonds

[devientdrow]

When you go buy a stone what kind of micro scope do they have you view it under? How much magnification is it? Also my diamond is GIA cert. The number is lasered on there. How much magnification would I need to view my diamond under to see that number?

Thanks!

 

[denverappraiser]

Most gemological microscopes go from 10x to about 60x. If you’re vision and microscope skills are good you can see an inscription at 10x. It’s pretty easy at 60x.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[strmrdr]

20x loupe will make most inscriptions visible.
some people can read them with a 10x loupe.

 

[belle]

you can see an inscription with as little as 10x but if the diamond is small (and therefore the inscription) it is more difficult. the inscription can easily be seen at higher powers.

 

[devientdrow]

Drats! I have a loupe and it''s 10x. Well my diamond is pretty small, .83ct and it''s set in a 6 prong setting. I suppose there could be a good chance the prong could obstruct my view of it? IS it usually in one specifc spot?

 

[belle]

are you positive there is an inscription? not all diamonds have them.

i would suggest looking for it in very bright light, like full sunlight. you may have to try different angles so the light hits it just right. it won''t be dark and easy to see. it''s more like etching on glass. pick a prong as a reference point and slowly spin the diamond as you look for the inscription. you can count prongs as they go by to make sure you have looked around the entire girdle.

have fun and let us know if you find it!

 

[devientdrow]

Thanks Belle! I will! I''m sure the diamond has the inscription on it. We were told when we bought it it did and when I looked it up on the GIA site it verified it. Thanks for describing it a bit more, this NOW seems pretty dense to me but I guess I did think it would be black or something. But DUH! Then it would just look like a nasty black inclusion or something and who would want that! Sometimes I am SO SLOW!

I guess it''s just a curiosity thing for me. My mom works around microscopes and sometimes when they get old or they get a new model they just throw them out, and I was going to inquire (if I needed a microscope to read it) if they would let her take one home rather than throw it out in the trash.

I don''t really worry about my diamond being stolen or anything. This is going to sound REALLY bad of me.....but I got my original ering from Gordons at the mall and the lady who sold it to us told us the center diamond was .50ct. We also purchased the lifetime cleaning and prong check thing and they print this paper out and you have to take it every 6 months to get checked. Well I noticed on the paper under description of my ring it said :.90ct Platinum Engagement Ring" I figured at the time not knowing anything about diamonds...well somehow these little baugetts on the side must add up to .20ct each. Well as it turns out when I was upgrading my ring I learned my old center stone was really .25ct NOT .50ct and the baugettes on each side were roughly .15ct. So I guess the ring had about a total carat weight of .50ct. So when I upgraded my stone (got it from James Allen) I now had a .83ct center stone with .30ct of baugettes. Well I asked other PS''rs what they thought I should do when it came time to get my setting checked, weather I should let Gordons know a new diamond was in it or weather to keep my mouth shut. Most agreed with my natural instinct to just take it to them and see what happened. So the past 2 times i''ve been in there to get it checked they look at the paper and look at my ring, which actually looks like it fits the description on the paper! They clean it for me and check it. It''s funny cause they always appear to be in awe of it. The sales ladies are always like "And you got this from here?!" "This is gorgeous!" "That stone is beautiful!"

I just smile and say thank you. I mean I did get the setting from there and thats what i''m more worried about wearing over time rather than my diamond. Anyway........i''d say Gordons isn''t all that great of a place and if anything happened that I ever needed to send it away to get fixed I guess I would be slightly paranoid about stone switching. I know...I know.....you all are probably thinking what a paranoid person! But I can''t help it. I know it''s not likely to happen and all but it would be nice to know how to identify my stone should I ever want to.