New 3-D software for pearls identification

Pearls (natural or cultured) are opaque organic minerals. Freshwater pearls are often grafted with just a piece of mantle tissue from another clam, while saltwater pearls with both a bit of mantle tissue or a round bead core. X-ray images are used traditionally for their identification.

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 new 3-D software that 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