Diamonds New Ventu Feedback Requested

I would like to receive your feedback on new diamond service that I
have developed recently. When answering, please mention whether you are
a jewelers or a consumer.

It is a service for inscribing high-resolution data on diamonds using a
patented technology (Focused Ion Beam = FIB) that has multiple key
advantages over the current laser inscription one:
- Higher amount of data. The spot size is 1000 times smaller than a
laser. A laser is then limited to letters, characters, simple logo.
This new technology can inscribe high-resolution data. For example it
can inscribe: pictures, Chinese characters, high-resolution brand, data
such as music/video (on 1mm2, 62,000 Gigabytes can be stored = 10,000
DVDs!).
- No damages on the diamond (a laser would engrave about 10 microns
deep).
- Inscription truly lasts forever. Laser inscription can be seen with
the graphite (black) inside each letter/number. Over time or after
cleaning the diamond, it would fade away.
- These FIB inscriptions would not only personalize the diamond, but
also provide peace of mind as the inscription is not easily
reproducible.

Other features of this new service a
- The image can only be removed by polishing the diamond. This is
possible without remove even 1/100 point of the diamond.
- The inscription is invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen
with a viewer.
- A small and portable viewer is provided with the service. Seeing the
image on the diamond is as easy as pushing one button.
- The image can be in grayscale or in color.
- The data can be inscribed on any gems or substrate, not just diamond
(ruby, emerald, pearl, etc.).
- Inscription can be done on lose or mounted stones.

Some of the markets I was thinking about a
- Market 1: Family stones market. Inscribe a
picture/poem/messages/music/movie file from great grand-mother, grand
mother or mother before she transmits it to her daughter. It can be
done multiple times from generation to generation. It is possible to
inscribe these images side by side on the same diamond (up to 300,000
images!). There would be a "family tree" on the stone. Their memory
would last forever. This is the first time such "eternal memory"
concept would be provided.
- Market 2: Bridal market. Inscribe the couple picture on the diamond
with poem/date/marriage certificate/etc.
- Market 3: Religious diamonds market. Inscribe image of a god or any
religious pattern on the diamond.
- Market 4: Security Market. Inscribe/encode large amount of data on a
substrate.
- Market 5: Jewelers market: all of the diamond information could be on
the stone itself instead of a certificate number that refers to a
document. The inclusions, date, quality, etc. could be all inscribed
and read on the diamond directly.

The answers I would like to have particularly a
- Do you think there would be any traction these markets? Which one?
Why? Why not?
- For a specific market, what segment do you think would have the
highest chance to be economically viable?
- What are the negative/positive forces to make a specific market
segment succeed?
- For a given market where you think it can be economically viable, how
much do you think this service should be?
- Do you think this service could be applicable to any other market not
listed above?
- Would you like to integrate this service in your business?
- If you are aware of a specialist I could contact to become more aware
of the potential for a specific market, please feel free to send me the
contact information.

Please feel free to contact me for any additional information.

E

diamonds1848 wrote:
I would like to receive your feedback on new diamond service that I
have developed recently. When answering, please mention whether you are
a jewelers or a consumer.


rec.crafts.jewelry is the wrong newsgroup from which to expect any
useful answers to your questions.

This newsgroup is frequented by about half a dozen regulars and maybe
two dozen participants at most. The activity in this ng varies from
pathetic (I'm talking about quantity here) to none at all. And most
participants are crafts people with little experience of selling larger
diamonds on which anyone would ever want to mark anything.

If you want answers that are at least somewhat more reliable than what
you are going to get here, I suggest going to the orchid site on
ganoksin.com. However, that may not be reliable either, because it
would only give you responses from online participants in a newsgroup.
This is a very limited group of a demographic that would be of no or
little value to you. I would think, that you would want answers from
jewelry store owners mostly, and/or people who sell a lot of larger
diamonds.

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

Hello,
I think the best route to go down is the emotional link. A romantic
message or date etched into the girdle is probably the way forward.

The problem that I can see with storing all of the stones details or
security number on the stone is that it could be easily bruted or
polished away. A security code could easily be removed rendering the
stone untraceable.

De Beers DTC have just launched the "Forevermark",
(www.forevermark.com") which is being used as a type of hallmark for
diamonds guaranteeing legal conflict free diamonds from a legitable DTC
source ( S.A, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, Tanzania, Russia or Canada).
It is the DTC etched/lasered? onto the table which requires a viewer to
see. (Ive tried to see one with a loupe and it is impossible/very
difficult)
This is being used as a marketing tool in the current "Blood Diamond"
media interest.
Some diamonds from Canada have a Polar Bear or Maple Leaf on the table
showing their country of origin.

If you flick through any copy of Rapaport you will find a few companies
offering this kind of technology and they are all going down the
emotional route, so this seems the way forward. It can be used as a
selling tool for a Jeweller. Sell an engagement ring and for a small
fee have his and hers date of birth or proposal date added to the
stone.

I think it a niche market that is growing. Think of how many stones are
sold worldwide each year, there is a definite market out there. I dont
know how much you would be charging, but lets face it a large
percentage of men out to buy an engagement ring are out of there depth
and open to the salesmen suggestions (ethical I hope), If the salesmans
pitch focus' on the romantic benifits of having his and hers name on
the stone, Im sure he will bite. Just think when we men go to buy
flowers, " for just a little extra I can put them in a vase with a nice
bow and include some chocolates.......oh yes OK!"

Hope this was of some help.

Alasdair ,
Antwerp,(Diamond Industry)