Method For Applying a Data Marking to the Surface of a Diamond or Brilliant and For Determining the Authenticity Thereof

摘要

A system and method are provided for marking valuable articles, particularly precious stones and here in particular cut diamonds (brilliants) and uncut diamonds. An identification marking that is invisible to the naked eye is applied to the article, and data associated with the identification marking is stored for subsequent use in determining the authenticity of the marking. The marking is applied by irradiating a surface of the article with laser light having a wavelength of less than 400 nm and applying ultrasonic oscillations during laser irradiation. A further laser light having a wavelength of more than 500 nm may also be applied to the surface. At least two interference images are generated using at least two different sounding radiation wavelengths for storage, along with an incidence angle of the sounding radiation. The stored data may subsequently be compared to authenticity-checking interference images to determine the authenticity of the identification marking.