Visualization of the internal structure of freshwater cultured pearls by Computerized X-Ray Micro Tomography

WEHRMEISTER, URSULA; GOETZ, HERMANN; JACOB, DORRIT E.; SOLDATI, ANALIA L.; XU, WENXING; DUSCHNER, HEINZ; HOFMEISTER, WOLFGANG

The Journal of Gemmology

Año: 2008 vol. 32 p. 15 - 21

Computerized 3D x-ray micro tomography is capable of revealing the internal structure and some of the material properties of pearls at high resolution, and thus represents a much improved tool in pearl testing than conventional x-ray radiography. Furthermore, this method enables the identification of different CaCO3-polymorphs in the pearl when combined with Micro-Raman spectroscopy. In this way vaterite containing areas can be identified by their differing transparency towards x-rays (radiodensity).