Chapter 2
On the market today there are a number of reflectors (or resultant images) available to the gemologist and layman. Those being..
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The FireScope™
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The SymmetriScope™
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The IdealScope™
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DiamXray™
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A.S.E.T. (Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool)™
We'll take a look at each of these and the information they provide to the gemologist and layman. First a cursory review of the available reflectors.
1. The FireScope™
The first of its kind and ultimately the results of research conducted by Professon Okuda but ultimately developed by Tsuyoshi Shigetomi and Kazuo Inoue during the early 80's. The FireScope in distribution today uses a 10x all glass loupe developed by Peak Optics with a backlighting which the diamonds are placed over. Underneath the loupe is a hot pink color which is reflected into the crown of the diamond. Currently you will only find FireScope's with EightStar distributors.
2. The SymmetriScope™
Virtually identical in construction to the FireScope but with a brighter light source and released in 2003. From what I have seen the views are very similar through each.
The FireScope™ and the SymmetriScope™ are designed in such a way that the diamond being analyzed is placed in a transparent plastic tray roughly 3 inches above the light source. (See illustration below) The 10x loupe which is used to look at the diamond is surrounded by a bright pink color. Hence the 2 colors, pink and black (black is the reflection of the shadow of your eye peering through the lens) are reflected into the crown of the diamond. SymmetriScope's are available for sale through EightStar America and cost roughy $1200.00 the last time I checked.
3. The IdealScope™
 
Mr. Garry Holloway FGAA DDiaT JAA Appraiser is one of the original purchasers of the FireScope™ back in the mid 80's and had developed a handheld version which he originally made for his private use in the late 80's for quick selection of fine diamonds but has shared his invention with the general public after patent on the original FireScope expired in 2001. It's construction is quite different with an accent on "portability". The IdealScope can easily fit right in your pocket and with a little practice an experienced user can garner the information they would similarly get from a FireScope although the viewing conditions are not as consistent as a FireScope unless one uses a consistent backlit source. Lens construction in the beginners model (pic shown on left) is plastic while the pro version (right) is a 10x glass loupe with pink reflector. More information on the IdealScope and its use can be found at the Ideal-Scope website here.
4. DiamXray™ (formerly referred to as LightScope)
After working with the FireScope for around a year I was seeing what seemed like conflicting results between FireScope and BrillianceScope technologies and also what was being observed with the human eyes by both myself and our clients regarding super ideals of different personalities. After months of brainstorming we modified the entire design and setup. We changed the magnification, the light source and the distance between the diamond, the light source and the magnifier. DiamXray is the result and the gemological information it provides extends past the basic functions of reflector technologies which we will cover in the 3rd chapter of this tutorial. While the FireScope, the SymmetriScope and the IdealScope were all designed to view reflective properties of diamonds under, DiamXray was specifically designed by me for the purpose of photographing gemological phenomena which we'll expound upon further in this tutorial.
5. A.S.E.T. (Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool)
 Handheld model.
 Desktop model.
With the popularity of red reflectors growing (although at a very slow pace in the industry as a whole) renown gem labs GIA and AGS not only started taking notice (see chapter 1) but also started testing and experimenting with reflector technologies as well in their evaluation of diamonds. Both labs have made favorable comments about the information they provide, however AGS Laboratories has taken it one step further and have designed a new reflector called ASET which provides more unique data to the evaluation of diamonds. The ASET results (which can be seen in the images produced by this reflector) will be the determining factor for the cut grade AGS assigns which now includes the optical metrics of brightness, dispersion (fire), contrast & leakage. The primary difference in design is that the ASET uses multiple colors to represent where light is entering the diamond. When knowledge of where light is entering can be included in the evaluation, the effects of diamond appearance can be better assessed and evaluated.
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