A Silicon Valley company, Gemory, says it has new technology that can nano-inscribe photographs on diamonds.

Another company, Photoscribe, also says it can inscribe photos on gems, but Gemory is the first to claim it can nano-inscribe multiple photos anywhere on the stone. Customers can look at the photos only through a special viewer that Gemory will provide.

Company founder Erman Lee says the technology does not harm the diamond in any way. He claims the unidentified patent-pending technology, which grew out of his work with semiconductors, is different from the laser-based inscriptions used by most gem labs or the ion-beam technology De Beers uses to inscribe its Forevermark. “We are less invasive because we don’t remove a single atom of carbon, whereas the laser burns [the stone],” Lee says.

The photos can go anywhere on a stone, including its girdle and table, and on stones as small as one-pointers, Lee says.

The first inscription was launched with an eBay auction, but Lee notes this is an expensive process that he will position as a high-end item. “When we can reduce the cost on this inscription, then we will move to a larger consumer market,” he says. “The cost will not make sense for at least 12 months.”

He said he is in discussion with gemological laboratories about issuing reports and substantiating his claims and is looking for strategic partners to market his product.