Method and system for color grading of gemstones

• US 7,388,656 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yan Liu
• Original Assignee: Yan Liu
• Inventors: Liu, Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans; F. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nur; Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US11/322,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 356/30, 358/521, 345/426
• US Class Current: 356/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/462 Computing operations in or between colour spaces; Colour management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/463 Colour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/465 taking into account the colour perception of the eye; using tristimulus detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/278 Constitution of standards
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/293 with colour charts, graduated scales or turrets
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/87 Investigating jewels G01N21/88 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system, including a computer program product, implementing a color terminology for accurate color grading of gemstones are provided. The method includes generating a reference color to match that of a graded gemstone under the standard viewing environment, processing color data in different color spaces, assigning a color grade to specify the color of the gemstone graded. The reference color can be continuously changed by adjusting the hue, lightness and saturation values. The color grade comprises a color name and one or more corresponding color coordinates and/or one or more corresponding color notations, in the form of Color Name (Color Coordinates). The color name is used for verbal description of the color, and the color coordinate or color notation is for accurate color communication in the jewelry industry.

Claims

1. A method for color grading of a gemstone using a system with a computer program product, comprising:

calibrating a display element to a specification of a white point of a CIE standard illuminant at a brightness level with a γ

correction;

observing an average color of said gemstone by the 45/0 condition under a standard CIE daylight simulator against a neutral background and surround;

adjusting a hue, a lightness and a saturation value continuously to change a reference color of the display element by a color grader;

calculating a color coordinate and a color notation from said hue, said lightness and said saturation value;

applying said γ

correction to a RGB tristiumlus value;

calculating a RGB digital counts;

assigning a corresponding color name from said calculated color coordinates by checking a color name look-up table;

making a logical decision;

displaying said assigned color name and said calculated color coordinates; and

displaying a reference color on said display element.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising of printing a color grading report with a color grade for said gemstone graded, including said color name, said color coordinates said color notations, or a physical and a gemological property.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising of displaying a true color of a gemstone by inputting said color coordinates of said color grade for a color communication purpose.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

said step of making a logical decision further comprising:

allowing said color grader to match said reference color again by readjusting said hue, said lightness and said saturation value if said reference color does not match said viewed average color of the gemstone;

or

instructing a printer to print out a color grade report for the gemstone if the displayed color matches said viewed average color.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said display element is a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode-ray tube (CRT), a plasma display, a digital light processing (DLP) display, or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said CIE standard illuminant is a CIE standard illuminant D50, a CIE standard illuminant D55, a CIE standard illuminant D65, a CIE standard illuminant D75, a CIE standard illuminant A, or a CIE standard illuminant C.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a color space of said CIE standard illuminant is a CIE 1976 (L*, a* b*) color space, a CIE 1976 (L*, u*, v*) color space, a CIE 1931 (XYZ) color space, a CIE 1931 (RGB) color space, a CIE 1931 γ

(RGB) color space, a CIE 1931 s(RGB) color space, a CIE 1964 (XYZ) color space, a CIE 1964 (RGB) color space, a CIE 1964 γ

(RGB) color space, or a CIE 1964 s(RGB) color space.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said standard CIE daylight simulator has a color temperature that is the same as that of a white point for calibrating the display element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the value said γ

correction of the RGB tristimulus value is from 1.0 to 3.0 and a γ

value for the display element calibration matches said γ

correction of RGB tristimulus value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said reference color is immediately surrounded by a large area of neutral color with a Munsell notation N6-N7 and said reference color can be continuously adjusted by changing said hue, said lightness and said saturation value by changing a value of the a corresponding scroll bar.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one interrelationship among said color names and said color coordinates is defined by said color name look-up table.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said color name comprises of a saturation intensity, a lightness level, and a hue term in a tripartite form.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said color grade of gemstone comprises of said color name and one or more color coordinates and one or more color notations in a form “

Color Name (C_ab*, L*, h_ab)”

, in a form “

Color Name (L*, a*, b*)”

, in a form “

Color Name (C_ab*, L*, h_ab) (L*, a*, b*)”

, in a form “

Color Name(H V/C)”

, in a form “

Color Name(D C H)”

, or in a form “

Color Name (Color Coordinate 1) (Color Notation 1)”

.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises of said display element, a data processor instructed by said computer program product, said CIE standard illuminant D65 daylight simulator, and a neutral background that is surrounded with said Munsell notation N6-N7.

14. A computer program product stored on a machine-readable medium for processing color grading of a gemstone, the product comprises of instructions operable to cause a programmable data processor to:

receive an input hue, an input lightness and an input saturation value;

calculate a color coordinate from said input hue, said input lightness and said input saturation value for adjusting a reference color,

apply a γ

correction to RGB tristimulus values;

calculate a RGB digital count;

assign a corresponding color name from said calculated color coordinate by checking a color name lookup table; and

instruct said programmable data processor to drive a display element to show said reference color.

15. The product of claim 14 further comprising of causing said programmable data processor to instruct a printer to print out a color grading report with a color grade for the gemstone graded including a color name, said color coordinate, a color notations, a physical property and a gemological property of said gemstone.

16. The product of claim 14, wherein said hue, said lightness and said saturation value can be continuously changed by adjusting a corresponding scroll bar, or by entering said color coordinate into a corresponding text box.

17. The product of claim 14, wherein the value of said γ

correction to RGB tristimulus value is from 1.0 to 3.0 and a γ

value for the display element calibration matches said γ

correction of GRB tristimulus value.

18. The product of claim 14, wherein a color space of said CIE standard illuminant is a CIE 1976 (L*, a* b*) color space, a CIE 1976 (L*, u*, v*) color space, a CIE 1931 (XYZ) color space, a CIE 1931 (RGB) color space, a CIE 1931 γ

(RGB) color space, a CIE 1931 s(RGB) color space, a CIE 1964 (XYZ) color space, a CIE 1964 (RGB) color space, a CIE 1964 γ

(RGB) color space, or a CIE 1964 s(RGB) color space.

19. The product of claim 15, wherein said RGB digital count is in a format of 12 bits color (4-bits for each color channel), 15 bits color (5-bits for each color channel), 16 bits color (4 bits for each color channel and additional 4 bits for a channel), 32-bits color (8 bits for each color channel and additional 8 bits), 64-bits color (16 bits for each color channel and additional 16 bits), 128-bits color (32 bits for each color channel and additional 32 bits), or 256-bits color (64 bits foe each color channel and addition 64 bits).