DIY ASET and Ideal Scope

[diamondfinder]

Hi Pricescopers!

I've been looking for an engagement ring for the past few weeks and have been reading Pricescope nonstop. I've learned a lot since I first started and wanted to give a little back to others on this forum.

One of the most important things I learned here is the importance of cut and and light performance, and how the ASET and Ideal Scopes are great ways to evaluate them. I wanted to get one for myself so I looked into how they work and realized that the reflector principle is pretty simple. I ended up making my own so I want to share what I made with PS. Hopefully I can help someone else in their search.

To the moderators: Let me know if it's not okay to share my personal website and I'll figure out a different way to share it. I also have a PDF version so maybe that would be easier.

http://theandychang.com/diyscopes/

 

[flyingpig]

I knew someone was going to do this sooner or later, and really hope there is no conflict with the PS policy and patent/legal issues.

I have my own DIY idealscope (although not as elegant as OP's), but have been hesitant of posting any detail.

 

[gm89uk]

Thanks for this! I have an Idealscope but would love to try make an ASET scope. Do you have any comparisons between real images and your home made scope (although I suppose that it defeats the purpose of why you made it in the first place...)

 

[Skhii]

Thanks for this! I have an Idealscope but would love to try make an ASET scope. Do you have any comparisons between real images and your home made scope (although I suppose that it defeats the purpose of why you made it in the first place...)

+1

I knew someone was going to do this sooner or later, and really hope there is no conflict with the PS policy and patent/legal issues.

I have my own DIY idealscope (although not as elegant as OP's), but have been hesitant of posting any detail.

Flyingpig, have you been able to compare the images you get from your Idealscope to those of a vendor and/or a handheld Idealscope?

 

[diamondfinder]

I'll definitely remove or modify the post if it conflicts with PS's policies. As I say in the guide, I have nothing but respect for Garry Holloway and AGS so I don't want to infringe on their IP. Mods, please let me know!

Thanks for this! I have an Idealscope but would love to try make an ASET scope. Do you have any comparisons between real images and your home made scope (although I suppose that it defeats the purpose of why you made it in the first place...)

I have an the ASET image taken by the jeweler (with her cell phone), but the diamond is now mounted in the setting so they won't be directly comparable. I'll try to take an ASET image of the mounted stone tomorrow for comparison, but they won't look the same due to the ring obstructing light.

 

[flyingpig]

"Flyingpig, have you been able to compare the images you get from your Idealscope to those of a vendor and/or a handheld Idealscope?"

Unfortunately, I do not. My stone did not come with the IS image.
My IS is not really a scope. It is rather creating an environment that mimics the one inside the idealscope, where the table/crown facets are fully exposed to only red/pink light (I think it can be any color. I used the deep blue sky once. It worked), against white light from the other side.

Not elegant. But good enough to make a quick assessment.

 

[gm89uk]

If I get round to making this I'll post comparison pictures. Although I'm from the UK and can't buy the same specification loupe

I wonder if they'd do the trick:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piece-Jewellers-Magnifying-Eye-Loupe/dp/B00303YCJ4/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1476401782&sr=8-15&keywords=x10+loupe

 

[diamondfinder]

If I get round to making this I'll post comparison pictures. Although I'm from the UK and can't buy the same specification loupe

I wonder if they'd do the trick:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piece-Jewellers-Magnifying-Eye-Loupe/dp/B00303YCJ4/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1476401782&sr=8-15&keywords=x10+loupe

I didn't really consider people outside of the US (typical American mentality). I did a quick search and found the same set on ebay. If you search "5 pc eye loupe" you can find the same set, but at a higher price ($10 USD).

You can probably also use the loupe you linked. Look at the FAQ section where I have a description of how you can make your own using the correct angles. If you end up making it, please share your pics. I'm trying to make a holder that will work for a set diamond so I'll update if I come up with something that works.

 

[diamondfinder]

Here's the ASET image provided by the retailer:




Here's the ASET from the DIY scope. The image quality isn't great because it was taken on my phone but it looks much better by eye.



Comparing the two images, I'm noticing a bit more green in the DIY scope, especially on the right side. I also notice less red saturation under the table at the 6:00 position that's not there on the retailer ASET. Both of these are due to the angle I held the phone when taking the picture because they show up in some pictures but not in others. These scopes are highly angle-sensitive. When I look through the scope with my eye and move my head around in different angles, the saturation varies a little.

 

[gm89uk]

Very nice,

The apparent leak at 6oclock is due to the angle as you say, the arrows at 6 look shorter than the one at 12. Your rock is also set which may change things.

The red saturation under the table is highly sensitive to how far the diamond is from the scope and too close or too far can look like leakage under the table. This is a limitation of all hand held scopes as the distance isn't standardised, compared to their pro ASET. Really impressed, thanks again

 

[evergreen]

Diamondfinder, thank you SO much for posting this! To be honest, I probably would have bought the "real" ASET scope if it was available with 2-day shipping from Amazon (such is my consumer mentality!) but really wanted something to ASET a couple of emerald diamonds I ordered from James Allen and shipping from Australia would take agonizingly long.

One note: These are the loupes I bought -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WK1KM6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 -- which I thought were the ones used in the instructions, but despite the scaling lining up well & everything, the templates for the blue parts were too small. (Just by a little bit.) I recut the blue around-the-loupe part to be longer, and cut just outside the lines on the "large" spoked-wheel part, then had to make some slices down the top of the red cone to be able to fit the blue-sheathed loupe inside. Since the instructions show the loupe 1/4" deep into the red cone, I don't think this changes the proportions much except to increase the amount of blue (slightly) the diamond sees (due to the larger loupe). It should still be a reasonable approximation, though!

So! James Allen ASET:


DIY scope images x 2 slightly-different angles:



No adjustment, just cropped; taken with my cell phone.

I used a piece of wax paper, folded to have a trough down the middle, to hold the stones.

HTH! Thanks again!

 

[kenny]

We each must ask, "What's my hourly wage, and how many hours will it take me to make this?

I think even at very low hourly wage it would be cheaper to just buy an ASET viewer.

 

[gm89uk]

Well for someone that already has a scope and a diamond, and is just curious to see what it looks like with an ASET but doesn't really need one, it's great.

Shipping is another 40 dollars which brings it to 90 dollars. I don't think it'll take more than an hour to make one..

 

[evergreen]

I was very happily engaged with precision cutting & gluing (this is something I enjoy) for about half an hour and was grateful to escape the "cost" of waiting for an ASET scope to arrive from Australia since I knew I'd need the scope today to evaluate two purchased stones, one of which would need to be returned (and, out of respect for the vendor, I don't approve of waiting around any longer than strictly necessary to return something!).

If one is using the scope for more than casual purposes (and here I'm including, like, a "serious" diamond, one that's a major purchase and MUST be PERFECT), and/or one is better at planning ahead (and worse at cutting & gluing ) than I am, buy the real ASET! If you need something to use in two days, props to Diamondfinder for providing this alternative.

And, incidentally, Kenny, I don't know what you think of as a "very low hourly wage" but after accounting for about $15 in materials & 30-60 minutes of construction time, a break-even hourly wage would be $50-100, considering the $66 cost of scope-plus-shipping. I wish someone would pay me $100/hr.

 

[diamondfinder]

I was very happily engaged with precision cutting & gluing (this is something I enjoy) for about half an hour and was grateful to escape the "cost" of waiting for an ASET scope to arrive from Australia since I knew I'd need the scope today to evaluate two purchased stones, one of which would need to be returned (and, out of respect for the vendor, I don't approve of waiting around any longer than strictly necessary to return something!).

If one is using the scope for more than casual purposes (and here I'm including, like, a "serious" diamond, one that's a major purchase and MUST be PERFECT), and/or one is better at planning ahead (and worse at cutting & gluing ) than I am, buy the real ASET! If you need something to use in two days, props to Diamondfinder for providing this alternative.

And, incidentally, Kenny, I don't know what you think of as a "very low hourly wage" but after accounting for about $15 in materials & 30-60 minutes of construction time, a break-even hourly wage would be $50-100, considering the $66 cost of scope-plus-shipping. I wish someone would pay me $100/hr.

Evergreen, I'm glad it was useful for you. From your two pics, i looks like there can be a lot of variability using this scope images. The first pics looks nice and red, but the second pic seems to have a bit of blue being introduced. Do you think it's due to the scope itself or the angle it was being held? Or maybe because you had to make some adjustments due to the size difference?

Sorry about the blue cone template. It fits for the loupe I based my measurements on (same manufacturer as yours), but there must be some variation in the sizes. I tried to account for it by having three cap sizes in the cap, but didn't do that for the cone!

I really like your idea of using wax paper. Do you mind if I add that to the instructions?

 

[diamondfinder]

We each must ask, "What's my hourly wage, and how many hours will it take me to make this?

I think even at very low hourly wage it would be cheaper to just buy an ASET viewer.

Kenny, I've made a few of these now so it takes me less and half an hour while watching TV. If I were making it for the first time, it should still not take longer than an hour. I've done all the hard work already. You just have to print, cut, and glue.

I don't think hourly rate is a real concern for most people. By that logic, why not pay someone to do all your chores? I'm not billing my time to do this, it's something for my own convenience. If you make enough money that it's not a problem to buy the commercial ASET and Ideal Scope and can wait for it to arrive, no one is forcing you to make a DIY version. Just buy one.

If you're a jeweler or a retailer, then you should already have the handheld and tabletop versions, and the DIY Scope isn't meant for you.

 

[maccers]

Great post! Thank you for your time and effort. I really appreciate it. You should consider making a tutorial for the Instructables website!

Another reason I like DIY, when I make something myself, I understand it more thoroughly and it becomes more intuitive.