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A Gemology Tools Tutorial
Context Sensitive Help: Gemology Tools has a context sensitive Help system. This means when you are in a module and press a Help button you will be taken to a Help page specifically for that module.
A Diamond Weight Estimation: You have a round brilliant diamond set in a closed back ring. The large diameter measures 7.55 mm’s. Small diameter: 7.49 mm’s. Depth: must be estimated. Girdle thickness is thick. To Start: Click once on the second icon from the left on the Speed Button tool bar across the top of the screen. This is the first of three icons that look like scales. This will start the Diamond Weight Estimator. Since Round Brilliant is the default for Shape click the mouse in the Large Diameter or Length field. Enter 7.55. Press Enter and fill in 7.49 in the Small Diameter or Width field. Press Enter again. You’ll notice that the Depth field “auto-fills” with the number 4.51. This is 60% of the average diameter of the stone. If you know the actual depth simply type those numbers into the field. Press Enter again. Now select Thick from the Girdle drop-down menu. Press Enter for the last time. Now we are ready to process the numbers. Do one of these things: press the F2 key or click the Weight button with the mouse. The output screen shows you the estimated weight of the stone (1.59 carats) along with a few pieces of information such as Depth Percentage and the Length-to-Width Ratio (not applicable to our Round Brilliant). Click the Insert button at the top of the output window. This will insert your data into a list. This is handy if you have a series of stones you want to process. Click View to look at the list. After viewing, click Close. Now click print (from the output screen). You’ll see that GT prints your list of stone weights with a letterhead. The letterhead probably says Exquisite Jewelers. Let’s change that now. Close both the output screen and the input screen.
The Gemstone Database: Click on the first icon on the left in the Speed Button tool bar (looks like books). This opens the Gemstone Database. There are a couple of ways to search for a gemstone. The Basic Search: Let’s say you want data about Maw-sit-sit. Pressing the first letter of a gem will take you to the start of all the gems that begin with that letter. So, to find Maw-sit-sit press the letter M. If you don’t see the gem you’re looking for you can press the Page Down key once or twice. An easier way to find your target gem is with the Find button located at the bottom of the screen. Click the Find button. Type maw. This will take you down to Maw-sit-sit. Press Enter. Now you have located your target stone. Click the Data button (at the bottom of the screen) to see all the data about Maw-sit-sit condensed to one page. Here you can get all the data about the gem, look at photos of it or see the list of varieties, trade names and misnomers attached to this stone. Click on Maw-sit-sit in the Varieties, Trade Names and Misnomers box. You’ll see that the Gem Info button becomes active. Press the Gem Info button to read more about the gem. When you’re done close these windows and return to the Gemstone Database.
Inclusion Gallery: Click on the Inclusions button to view the Inclusion Gallery. Peruse the list on the left side of the screen. When you see an inclusion you want to look at just click it with the mouse. Try this: type the letter P once. This will take you to the first item in the list that starts with a P (in this case, Peridot). When done close the window.
The Gemstone Separator: With the Gemstone Database open Click on the Separator button at the bottom of the screen. The Gemstone Separator will help you identify a gemstone variety. You are presented with a yellow, transparent gemstone with a high RI of 1.63, a low RI of 1.55 that is doubly refractive biaxial with a positive sign (DR B+) to identify. Select Yellow from the drop-down menu for Color. Select DR B+ from the drop-down menu for Optic Char. Enter 1.63 into the RI High field and 1.55 into the RI Low field. Press the Query button. From the data you have entered the Gemstone Separator shows three stones in the Gem Hits table (Assembled Stones, Hambergite and Clinohumite). This prompts you to look at the stone carefully to rule out Assembled Stones. After you have ruled it out right click on Assembled Stones. A Confirmation Menu pops up asking you to confirm the elimination of Assembled Stones from this session. Click Yes. Now you are left with two Gem Hits: Hambergite, a Direct Hit and Clinohumite a Near Hit. You know this because the RI numbers for Clinohumite are in red surrounded by a blue border. You can control the range of Hits by setting the RI Range slider (lower left part of the screen) from 0% to 2%. The default setting is 1.0%. What this means is that the RI range default setting has a buffer zone of 1.0%. Try this: move the RI Range slider one tick to the left so that it reads 0.5%. Click the Query button and see what happens. Clinohumite disappears. Move the slider one tick to the right and click the Query button again and Clinohumite returns so you know that its RI is within 0.5% and 1.0% of the actual RI. We need additional data to make an identification. When put the stone in 3.05 SG fluid it floats so you know its specific gravity is less than 3.05. In the SG field enter <3.05. Press Query again. Now you only have one Gem Hit. Hambergite is the only possible stone using the data we’ve entered.
You can use the < and > signs in the Hardness, SG and RI fields. It’s great for all those stones that are OTL (over the limits) for RI. Just enter >1.80.
Changing the Print Header: Click on File and open Print Header. Enter your companies name and address into the appropriate fields. Click the Font button if you want to change the font from the default Times New Roman (note that changing the size on the font will have no effect). Blank Lines: If you want to use your existing letterhead, you will need to set the Blank Lines box to approximately 12 or so (depending on how far down the page your letterhead goes), then click the Clear button. This inserts blank lines which will lower the printing of the program data creating enough room for your letterhead. Click the Save button. This will also close the Print Header window.
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