New 3-D software for pearls identification

Pearls, unlike inorganic minerals such as diamond, ruby, emerald and so on are opaque and their internal characteristics can not be seen using gemological microscope. For their identification (natural, bead-cultured, non-bead cultured) traditionally used X-rays images.

In the past few years in the laboratories of GIA to study the internal structure of the pearls used real-time X-ray microradiography (RTX) or computed X-ray microtomography (μ-CT) and for separating freshwater from saltwater pearls – non-destructive chemical analysis using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF). These tools and techniques provide only a two-dimensional view of the internal pearl’s structure.

Recently GIA announced acquiring of a new 3-D software which makes it possible virtually to explore, manipulate, extract and reconstruct specific areas of a pearl for analysis. The software also has the potential to analyze other unusual structures within pearls.

More about this new 3-D software and videos with 3-D imaging of pearl inclusions can be found here

Source: GIA