Education: Tools of the Trade

Customers often ask us about the large quantity of gem equipment we have in our stores. Our dichroscope, refractometer, diamond scales, polariscope, diamond proportion analyzer, diamond tester and our gem microscopes are just a few of the instruments we use when we do insurance appraisals on customers’ diamonds and colored gems. The instrument we permit our customers to use is the gem microscope, which allows close inspection of the diamonds they are purchasing.

Actually, we encourage our customers to view diamonds under the microscope for several reasons. Most people have never seen any diamond magnified, and, frankly, it’s very interesting. No only will you see the craftsmanship of the crown, which is the part of the setting that holds the diamond, but you’ll see the intricacy and symmetry which results in the unparalleled beauty of a Van Scoy Diamond. When we tell our customers that there are fifty-eight facets, or sides, on a diamond, we know it’s hard for them to imagine. When we tell them just how important the actual proportions are in terms of brilliance, we know that they won’t really appreciate what we mean until they see for themselves.

Another reason to view the diamond under magnification is to find and identify the physical characteristics that determine the clarity grade. Customers who are told of the presence of an inclusion in the diamond but never see it may imagine it to be larger and more significant than it really is. Seeing how small it is will ease their mind. Also, spotting and then learning where a particular inclusion lies in their diamond is actually a good idea, because that mark identifies that diamond as their very own, which is important to know if they ever have to leave it in a store for servicing. At Van Scoy Jewelers, you’ll always see your diamond under one of our gem microscopes if it must be left for servicing.