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Gem and mineral identification using GL Gem Raman and comparison with other portable instruments

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Abstract

Several mainly silicate minerals in their gemstone varieties have been analysed by the Gem Raman portable system by Gemlab R&T, Vancouver, Canada, in order to ascertain the general performance of this relatively non-expensive tool developed exactly for the purpose of gemstone identification. The Raman spectra of gemstones acquired by this system have been subsequently critically compared with the data obtained by several other portable or handheld Raman instruments. The Raman spectra acquired with the Gem Raman instrument were typically of lesser quality when compared with the spectra taken by other instruments. Characteristic features such as steep baseline probably due to the fluorescence of the minerals, Raman bands much broader and therefore less resolved closely located Raman bands, and generally greater shifts of the band positions from the reference values were encountered. Some gemstone groups such as rubies did not provide useful Raman spectra at all. Nevertheless, general identification of gemstones was possible for a selection of gemstones.

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Acknowledgments

We warmly acknowledge the assistance by Jan Neumann (Bruker Optics, Czech Republic), and we thank for the possibility to use portable Raman spectrometer Bravo (Bruker) for comparative purposes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43, Prague, Czech Republic

    Adam Culka & Jan Jehlička

  2. Ke Kurtům 383/3, Písnice, 142 00, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jaroslav Hyršl

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  1. Adam Culka
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  2. Jaroslav Hyršl
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  3. Jan Jehlička
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Correspondence to Adam Culka.

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Culka, A., Hyršl, J. & Jehlička, J. Gem and mineral identification using GL Gem Raman and comparison with other portable instruments. Appl. Phys. A 122, 959 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-016-0500-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-016-0500-2

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