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 Post subject: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:48 pm 
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Gembug sent me an awesome gem.
Somewhere between a color shift and color change:

ImageImage

I just bought myself a new Eickhorst microscope base. (Name dropping: guilty) I was able to get some great inclusion shots just snapped through one of the main oculars: Rutile for days. Textbook intersection angles 110º x 70º

Image
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Now for the GemmoRaman results: Pyralspite: Color Change Garnet
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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:58 pm 
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Awesome photos of the rutile!

I can't tell you how many times rutile in gems has caused me headaches, as depending on the light and angle, it can look like scratches while polishing. Only after multiple passes going back to prepolish did it sink in that it was near-surface rutile #-o

Now to win me the lottery and get a GemmoRaman!

-Allan

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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 6:26 pm 
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I want some Raman too..... :?


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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 7:06 pm 
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Nice photos! Rutile in garnets seems to have its own special look. Those Eickhorsts do look wonderful, though the price tag puts it a bit out of my reach. What kind of head do you have on it?

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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 10:11 pm 
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Hi Stephen.
I have the Zeiss trinocular StereoZOOM optics. The same pod Eickhorst sells when you get the entire scope.

I purchased the optics from Eickhorst about 6-7 years ago. I originally had it attached to an old GIA Gemolite Mark VI base. I bought the scope with a Bausche and Lomb pod about 14-15 years ago.
The damn well light got so hot after a very short time, it was difficult to do an appraisal in front of a client and look professional.
Image

One step at a time. Gem equip is my priority and I always try to get the very best within the parameters of my budget. My shoes are from Payless and my clothes from Marshall's and Nordstrom Rack. :wink:

And 1bwana1, you've got that Canadian spectroscope. Can you test mounted goods? I would get all the MAGI spectroscopic equip if it could handle mounted gems.


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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 10:47 pm 
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Yup, I can understand wanting that cool LED illumination. There was plenty of LED naysaying on the forums back when microscopes were a hotter topic of discussion (~8-10 years ago, wow) but I know there have been significant advancements since. If I ever do a retrofit I'll be sure to document it and post the step by step up on the forum.
(That said, while that image is hilarious, what they suggest actually doing in that series of images is not the best idea. The base itself is the only thing that makes a gemolite special, the focus arm is found on any ol' B&L microscope so there's no reason to source it from a good scope--my dad got two moldy stereozooms for 25 bucks at a flea market, each with one of these on it[/gripe](If you do though maybe sell the base to me?))
(One more comment on this--I saw a guy at Tucson last year who had done this retrofit...and had an AO 570 head on the new base. You just spent thousands on a new base, and you can't spare 300 bucks to get a professionally refurbished 580? And what's the deal with airplane food??)
Can't go too wrong with a Zeiss head (from a bit of googlin' it appears to be a Zeiss Stemi 508)--and of course if you ever want a more powerful head it will probably fit right into the same slot without any modification.

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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2018 11:41 pm 
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When you are at the Tucson show 2019, Eichhorst has a booth at GJX.
Talk to Manfred. His specialty is the physics and optics of light.


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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 12:29 am 
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Barbra Voltaire wrote:
And 1bwana1, you've got that Canadian spectroscope. Can you test mounted goods? I would get all the MAGI spectroscopic equip if it could handle mounted gems.


It depends on the mounting. It was not designed for that, but you can make it work a lot of the time. It works best for rough, and loose cut stones. Which is by far most of what I do.

For rough, cut, and mounted Identification confirmation, I lust after this one.



I just can't justify the cost because I don't issue Gem Reports, and it such a rare circumstance that I can't get a positive ID with what I have. In those very rare cases G.I.A. is just a few miles away.

I always get stuck on how much rough I can buy instead of a machine. :wink:


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 Post subject: Re: A bit of a mystery, solved in the wink of a Raman
PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 12:36 pm 
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I totally get it, Steve.
You sell gems, I sell information.

And as you all know, I am happy to test something for members for the cost of return postage.


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