Q U I C K T E S T PARK HOUSE GREENHILL CRESCENT WATFORD BUSINESS PARK WATFORD, WD18 8P Telephone 01923 220206 email info@quicktest.co.uk ARCHIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR DIAMOND TESTERS THAT QUICKTEST NO LONGER SELL (and which were probably discontinued many years ago) FOR OUR LATEST PRODUCTS SEE www.quicktest.co.uk In this download are instructions for: Most versions of Diamond Selector (of which there are dozens!) and QUICKTEST diamond testers sold before 2001. Diamond Selector III Moissanite Terminator Tester DN1 Diamond tester troubleshooting BUT please don t try to buy these from us, they have long-since been superseded by much better models!
DIAMOND SELECTOR DIAMOND TESTER and QUICKTEST diamond testers sold before 2001 POWER. Slide open battery cover in direction of arrow. Insert the PP3 battery. If the battery is not in the box, it may already be fitted in the diamond tester. INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE Turn knob just enough for it to click. Wait for the READY light. This will take a few seconds. Gently remove the thin rubber protective cap from test tip. Set the sensitivity (see below). Press test tip firmly onto the top of the diamond at a right angle. Do not attempt to scratch the stone or you will break or bend the test-tip and such damage is not covered by the guarantee. If lights remain static you do not have a diamond; If the row of lights light up (and there will be a bleep) you do have a diamond. Before the next test you must wait for the READY light Repeatedly testing the same stone warms it until - eventually - a diamond will no longer read DIAMOND. If this happens wait at least three minutes for the stone to cool down. Replace the protective cover after use. 'TOUCHED SETTING' SAFETY FEATURE Hold the diamond tester like a pen. Make sure that you are touching the metal plate on the back. Now if you miss the stone and touch the setting by accident there will be a piercing alarm. SETTING THE SENSITIVITY You can adjust the sensitivity to allow for cool temperatures or large stones. METHOD 1: METHOD 2: Set the LED lights to start on the number indicated on the chart on the back of the diamond tester. If it is not cold simply memorise the following: SMALL STONES (under 5pts) Set LED lights to No.6 MOST STONES (6pts to 50pts) Set LED lights to No.4 LARGE STONES (60pts upwards) Set LED lights to No.2 Only if it is cold (below 10 degrees) need you look at the chart. METHOD 3: You will soon learn that the starting number is irrelevant. If the LED lights light up rapidly and dramatically, you have a diamond; if they do not move at all you do not have a diamond; if they creep up slowly an painfully (especially with a large stone) then either you have set the sensitivity too high or you have a corundum (ruby or sapphire). If you are in doubt, set the sensitivity to the 'official' starting point shown on the chart. If you are still in doubt, check the battery. If you are still in doubt, check the diamond tester against a known diamond or a known large corundum. CORUNDUM AND MOISSANITE CORUNDUM On Corundum (termed ruby when the colour is red, or sapphire for other colours) the diamond tester gives a slight reading. On a small sapphire, blip blip; on a medium
sapphire, blip-blip, blip; and on a large-ish sapphire blip-blip, blip (blip). This response is quite different from diamond. Even a small diamond will go blip-blip-blip-blip, and a large diamond blip-blip-blip-blip-blip-blip-blip-blip almost faster than the eye can see. As explained in the instructions, it is the SPEED of the reaction that indicates diamond, and this is why the diamond tester II works even when the sensitivity is set incorrectly. However the DIAMOND TESTER II is not a tester for corundum and should not be used as such. The 'indication' is still useful in that you can safely say of a stone, 'this stone is not diamond, it's probably ruby or sapphire, it s almost certainly not paste or spinel or cubic zirconia". MOISSANITE Moissanite is a synthetic stone, it is the closest man has yet come to imitating diamond, it is nearly as hard as diamond, and it does appear, even to the diamond expert at first glance, just like diamond and it registers DIAMOND on all diamond testers. The DIAMOND TESTER will give an indication that you might have a Moissanite and not a diamond because Moissanite can react quicker than diamond. If you carry two or three small diamonds and compare the reaction with a suspected Moissanite of the same size, then you might notice the difference between the two. However, the 'thermal inertia' (which is what diamond testers measure) of Moissanite overlaps with that of diamond and so this test is not guaranteed; and the DIAMOND TESTER is of no help in detecting a large Moissanite since the lights shoot up into the red as quickly as they would with a diamond. As with corundum, the DIAMOND TESTER is not designed to test for Moissanite and should not be used as a Moissanite tester. MOISSANITE AND DIAMOND, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q. Will a DIAMOND TESTER distinguish diamond from Moissanite? A. No. Diamond testers work on Thermal Conductivity and the thermal conductivity of the stones is too similar to make this a reliable test Q. Is there a tester that will distinguish Moissanite from diamond? A. Yes, we sell electronic 'Moissanite testers' but these will only distinguish Moissanite from diamond, you will still need a good conventional diamond tester such as the DIAMOND TESTER to distinguish diamond from dozens of other similar-looking stones.
DIAMOND SELECTOR DIAMOND TESTER III POWER. Slide the battery cover open (it's on the back by the metal plate), insert two AAA batteries ensuring that the polarity is correct (otherwise you will cause damage). INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE 1) Slide the switch (on the top edge of the unit) to the ON position. 2) Wait for the green light to stop flashing. 3) Adjust the meter to the size of the stone. The scale is marked in carats and points, from 1 Carat upwards (1 segment) to 3pts or smaller (5 segments). This scale is approximate, you do not need to know the exact size of the stone, it's good enough to decide whether the stone is 'small', 'medium' or 'large'. Warning: the scale of sizes has been calibrated for use at room temperature, if using in the cold (e.g. in the winter at an outdoor market) you must start with the lights one or two segments to the left. 4) Remove the cap. 5) Hold the diamond tester so that you are touching the metal plate, hold the jewellery so that you are touching the mount (or if the stone is loose, so that you are touching the metal of the stone-holder). 6) Place the tip firmly in the centre of the stone at right angles. Do not press hard, do not attempt to scratch the stone, bent or broken tips are not covered by the guarantee and cannot be repaired. 7) To protect the tip replace the cap after use. THE READINGS Lights remain static: the stone is not diamond Lights move up slowly: the stone is probably corundum (ruby or sapphire) - though the DIAMOND SELECTOR III is not designed as a 'corundum tester' Lights shoot up into the red and the unit bleeps: the stone is probably diamond. Trill-sounding alarm: you have missed the stone and touched the mount (or stone-holder) in error - see Instruction 5 above. Note: to use a diamond tester you must be able to see the stone clearly and you must be able to see the tip clearly, even if this means finding your reading spectacles or a magnifier. ANOTHER TEST? REPEATED TESTS? If the green light is flashing the diamond tester is not ready, wait for it to stop flashing before testing another stone. The diamond tester works by measuring how cold (relatively) the stone is. If you repeatedly test the same stone you will warm it until you get a NOT DIAMOND reading even if the stone is diamond. Wait two or three minutes for the stone to cool down. LOW BATTERY INDICATOR / POWER-SAVNG MODE Each segment lights up (one at a time): power-saving mode. Turn the power switch to OFF then back to ON to carry out another test, or just leave it OFF to save the batteries. The far right segment (labelled LOW BATTERY) lights up: low battery No lights at all: no power (no batteries or batteries completely flat)
Q U I C K T E S T PO BOX 180 WATFORD WD19 5JD MOISSANITE TESTER MOISS-2 The stone must be absolutely clean, preferably by cleaning with a cotton wool bud soaked in alcohol. Any slight grease will give a false reading, showing diamonds to be Moissanite. Hold the tester with your thumb over the test button and your finger touching the rear metal plate. Squeeze your fingers so that you are pressing the test button. The yellow 'testing' light should show. (No yellow 'testing' light? - change battery) With your other hand hold the metal part of the jewellery (or stone holder, supplied) Place the probe in the centre of the stone as far away as possible from the setting / metal stone-holder (if the probe is very close to metal, it can arc and give a false reading). If the stone is MOISSANITE (having first tested it as DIAMOND on a Diamond Tester) the light will flash and it will make a rapid beeping sound; if the stone is not MOISSANITE (having first tested it as DIAMOND on a Diamond Tester) there will be no reaction. IMPORTANT Moissantie testers are not suitable for testing stones under 5 points (= the diameter of the top [table] of the stone approx. 2½mm diameter), the current sparks onto the setting of the stone and gives false readings. You must place the test-tip in the exact centre of the stone and at right angles, so be quite certain that you can see the test-tip and the stone clearly even if this means finding your reading spectacles or using a magnifier. If you do not have good close-up eyesight (or an eyeglass) and a steady hand you will have difficulty in testing stones under 10 points (= the diameter of the top [table] of the stone must be nearly 3mm diameter). A MOISSANITE TESTER is designed to test stones that have already been tested with a DIAMOND TESTER and have already shown up as 'DIAMOND'. Some customers return their MOISSANITE TESTER complaining that, "All sorts of things show up as Moissanite even though they can't possibly be Moissanite!". They are right. Parts of the human body, children's toys - all sorts of things show up as Moissanite but none show up as 'DIAMOND' on a DIAMOND TESTER.
This page is a shortened version of the article at http://www.quicktest.co.uk/moissanite-tester-article.htm BASICS Moissanite is a manmade stone that looks like diamond. Its significance is that it tests as 'diamond' on diamond testers. Therefore, if you have a standard diamond tester, you will also need a Moissanite tester (though it's far simpler to get a 'Multi' tester that tests for both). The method is: test the stone on a diamond tester, if it reads diamond, it is either diamond or Moissanite - you won't know which. Then test the stone on a Moissanite tester to see if it is Moissanite. If it registers diamond on a diamond tester and not Moissanite on a Moissanite tester - then it's diamond. Of course, it's far easier to get one machine that tests both, a Multi-tester. There is a general article about testing diamonds. Or if you want to know about how the testers work, this is included in our troubleshooting guide - or read on if you want to know about Moissanite. MOISSANITE Moissanite is a manmade stone (it doesn't exist in nature in a form that can be cut into gemstones 1 ). It is not common, it was only 'invented' in the 1990s, its only significance is that it registers 'diamond' on diamond testers. Moissanite does, to the non-expert, look remarkably like diamond - but it is not diamond, it is Moissanite, i.e. Moissanite is not a 'type' of diamond, it is another stone altogether. MOISSANITE TESTERS AND TYPE II DIAMONDS Moissanite testers work by measuring electrical conductivity through the stone 2. Diamond is not electrically conductive, Moissanite is. However, there is a very rare type of diamond which has an unusual chemical composition (it does not contain nitrogen, it does contain boron) and this makes the diamond electrically conductive, i.e. it will register 'Moissanite' on a diamond tester. Unless you are a diamond dealer handling thousands of diamonds, it's unlikely that you will ever see one of these. But, rare as these diamonds are, they are turning up at gem laboratories, sent in by anxious retailers following complaints by their customers (who have bought an expensive diamond only to find it registers 'Moissanite' on a Moissanite tester!). Testers to distinguish Type II diamonds cost a few thousand pounds. 1 It's found either as tiny black crystals of Silicon Carbide (which can be synthesised to form the abrasive 'Carborundum') or as tiny platelets. You can see pictures of Moissanite crystals here, but they are green, less than 1mm in size and cannot be cut into gemstones. Part of the publicity about Moissanite is true: that the French chemist Henri Moissan (hence "Moissanite") discovered the mineral in a meteorite crater in Arizona in 1893. But the gemstone stems from a 1998 patent for "translucent silicon carbide of a single polytype that are grown in a furnace sublimation system." 2 The current travels all the way from your hand, through the metal plates on the tester, through the stone, through the setting of the jewellery, to your other hand, all the way round your body, back to your first hand, and back into the tester - so it is essential to hold the tester with your finger on the metal plate.
Q U I C K T E S T PO BOX 180 WATFORD WD19 5JD Telephone 01923 220206 e-mail info@quicktest.co.uk DN1 COMBINED DIAMOND AND MOISSANITE TESTER The combined DN1 diamond and Moissanite tester is not like our diamond-only tester. With the diamond tester you can be significantly 'wrong' with the settings and still get a clear result, with the DN1 you must follow the instructions very precisely. Providing you do this, the DN1 should prove a reliable and invaluable tester. But if you don't follow the instructions very precisely you will simply get wrong results. INSTRUCTIONS Turn on with knob (this is merely an on/off knob, it does not adjust anything) Wait until WAIT light goes off and READY light comes on Hold the DN1 so that your fingers of one hand are touching the metal plate and the other hand is touching the metal of the jewellery (or if the stone is not mounted, the metal of the stone-holder). Place the test-tip firmly in the centre of the gem stone, and at right angles to the stone. Simulant or non-diamond: no reaction Diamond: buzzer + green light for about six seconds Moissanite: within ½ second tone will change + light changes from red to green TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE The DN1 tests for diamond (thermal conductivity) then ½ second later it tests for Moissanite (electrical resistance). These are two entirely different principles, so if you remove and replace the test-tip before the test is complete you will confuse the machine. Touch the test-tip firmly onto the stone and at right angles, be careful that it doesn't slip. Do not press hard (as if trying to scratch the stone) - you could bend or snap the tip (not covered by the guarantee). The stone must be absolutely clean, preferably by cleaning with a cotton wool bud soaked in alcohol. Greasy stones give a wrong results, cleaning by rubbing against your shirt is not good enough. The tester is designed to test diamond-like gemstones. You may wish to experiment to see how many substances and household items have the same electrical resistance as Moissanite - a 'Moissanite' reading on these does not mean that the tester is broken since such substances / items cannot possibly be confused with diamond. Unlike our diamond-only testers, the DN1 does not have a 'touched metal' safety feature, this means that if you miss the stone and touch the metal by accident you will get a 'Diamond' reading. Be quite certain that you can see the test-tip and the stone clearly even if this means finding your reading spectacles or using a magnifier. If the yellow READY light fails to show or if it flashes, change the battery. The diamond test works on heat, use a good quality alkaline battery (the energy used to heat the tip will drain a cheap battery in minutes).
DIAMOND TESTER TROUBLESHOOTING Please check this list before returning a diamond tester The Battery: if the lights fade or don't light up at all, or if only some of the segments light up, or if the lights zip up-and-down, change the battery and use a good quality battery. We have had these returned with every conceivable type of 'wrong' battery, marked HIGH POWER or SUPER or EXTRA. Those bought from boot sales and bargain stores last 1 to 2mns, similar bought in supermarkets can last several minutes. You must use a good quality alkaline battery such as Duracel or UCAR. They cost about 5.00 instead of 2.00 but they do last several months (providing you remember to switch the diamond tester off after each use). The Lights: There are three big holes, the bottom one is labelled READY and has a light in it, the middle one is label BATTERY and has light in it, the top one has no label at all and has no light - this hole is not used, it serves no purpose, it is not supposed to have a light in it. (The reason is that the casing is standard, it is used by many manufacturers for many different machines, and when it is used to make a diamond tester the extra hole isn't used - it's cheaper for manufacturers to use a standard casing and not use some of the 'holes' than to spend several thousand pounds getting a new casing made). Temperature: The stone and the tester MUST be the same temperature, ideally room temperature, but definitely the same temperature. Repeatedly testing the same stone warms it until, eventually, a diamond will no longer read diamond. If this happens wait at least three minutes for the stone to cool down. Similarly, testing a stone taken from under the lights of a hot window, or having been brought in from outside on a cold day, or even a small stone on a hot customer's finger - you will get false readings, you must wait for the stone to reach room temperature. Continuity: hold the diamond tester with your finger touching the metal plate, then if you miss the stone and touch the metal setting by accident you will hear a rapid-pip alarm (and the LED lights remain static) - however both hands must touch the metal to create a 'circuit' - i.e. do not wear rubber gloves, do not 'test' the machine on metal objects sheathed in plastic. Sight: you must place the tip at right angles in the centre of the stone, if you repeatedly hear the rapid-pip sound (rather than the bleep-bleep) this means you are missing the stone and touching the metal. You may need to find your reading glasses, you may need a magnifier, you may need to find someone with a steadier hand, you must place that tip firmly and at right angles in the middle of the stone. Not covered by the guarantee: breaking the tip, cutting or pulling out the wire that connects the battery (though we do have spare connectors), dropping it, soaking it in tea or coffee or leaving it in the rain. The tip: treat it with care, keep the protective cap on it when not in use (and put it back in its pouch), do not try to scratch the stone with the tip - it will bend if you do that! If you bend it, it is better to bend it back with jewellers pliers rather than throw it away, but if you then snap the tip off you will have to throw it away. Bending or breaking the tip is not covered by the guarantee. There no reason to ever bend or break the tip if you treat it carefully, these diamond tester do last many years...providing you don't bend or break the tip.