Scientific Instruments Help Researchers Tell Gem Stories



The names of these instruments may sound cryptic, but to GIA researchers they are the tools that help unravel the mysteries of the gems. Scientific Instruments help researchers tell gem stories.

Researchers analyze and come to conclusions about the identity of a sample gem by comparing what they find to a database of the numerous gems GIA has examined over the years. They use their expertise and knowledge to look for the distinctive characteristics that reveal a gem’s identity.

The information they gather and the instruments used to collect it can be categorized into light analysis, atomic structure analysis, chemical analysis and imaging, and additional instrumentation. 
 

LIGHT ANALYSIS

Spectroscopy analyzes the way light interacts with the gem. Researchers can identify a gem, and can often determine if it has been treated or is synthetic, by examining how it absorbs or transmits light.