Pocket gamma spectrometers

[cascaillou]

Not sure how useful that would be in gemology, yet it's cool stuff so I'm sharing:

Raysid, model 8%
https://raysid.com/

Radiacode, model 103 (cheaper but less sensitive and lower definition, due to smaller crystal and fewer MCA channels)
https://www.radiacode.com/products#!/De ... category=0

So, these are scintillation counters with (reasonable) gamma spectrometry ability.

For a comparison of these devices: https://dozymetria.wordpress.com/2024/0 ... -obsidian/
That page is in Polish language, so open web-browser menu (top right of navigator) and select "translate page".

One should be able to get a spectrum from anything containing radioisotopes (U, Th, Ra). For example, ekanite, zircon, monazite, some blue apatites, etc...or even sylvite (due to K40, but this would only be detected with long enough spectrum collection).
Also could be of some use to detect radium paint on the needles in some antique watches.

A list of minerals containing radioisotopes can be found here (see down the page, the document might take a little while to load):
https://www.academia.edu/31507928/Here_ ... _Feb_2017_

[cascaillou]

PS: besides, scintillation counters have a very fast response time, which make these suitable for searching radioactive species in nature (by the way, both models are also featuring mapping ability, which is useful for surveying wide areas).