PhotoScribe Patents Diamond Assessment System

A newly patented technology claims to quantify the beauty of diamonds by registering how they interact with light.

An enlarged, sectional view of an annular support for light sources facing a table of a gemstone.

PhotoScribe Technologies Inc. said its system, awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,705,018 B2, measures six attributes of light in a diamond:

• Brilliance: the total amount and intensity of light returned from the gemstone (i.e. efficiency).

• Fire: the total amount and intensity of colored light returned from the gemstone.

• Scintillation: the sparkle, or rapid change of reflected light seen when the diamond is viewed in motion.

• Contrast: the intensity of the bright light returned when compared to the intensity of the non-returned or black area.

• Optical symmetry: the measurement of the balance of light returning from facets facing each other around an axis.

• Coverage: the percentage of the diamond that will return light to the viewer from any angle of illumination.

"A more visually active gemstone is deemed more valuable than a less visually active gemstone, even with the same cut, carat weight, clarity and color," according to the patent.

PhotoScribe designs and builds turn-key laser systems for micromarking and micromachining, including its “cold” excimer lasers for diamond and gemstone inscription.

For more information, visit www.photoscribetech.com.