An Oxford University spin-out, founded in 2017, that uses ultra-short laser pulses to write tiny, hard-to-remove marks inside diamonds and other gemstones, with diamond-based quantum research in the background.
Opsydia makes laser machines that write marks inside diamonds. Short, very fast pulses of laser light are focused deep inside a stone and turn a tiny spot of the diamond into a graphite-like material, which leaves a permanent mark without damaging the surface. Those marks can carry a logo or a unique identifier linked to a grading certificate, so a stone can be traced and cannot easily be passed off as something else. The company's range includes the Sub-Surface ID System D5000, the Surface ID System D4000 and a combined D6000, and it says each system can handle between 50,000 and 100,000 stones a year in an industrial setting. It works with natural and laboratory-grown diamonds and has trialled coloured stones.
The business grew out of University of Oxford research on adaptive optics, a way of correcting distortions in light that was first used to sharpen microscope images. The team realised the same ideas could help write inside transparent materials. Opsydia was founded in 2017 by Professor Martin Booth and Dr Patrick Salter of Oxford, working with chief executive Andrew Rimmer. In its own words, it wants to bring "greater security, transparency and innovation" to the diamond and coloured stone industries. It won an Institute of Physics business start-up award in 2019. The quantum link is real but early: the company says its research looks at diamond-based electronics and diamond-based quantum solutions, and Physics World describes Oxford and Warwick collaborators working on qubit sources embedded in diamond. We found no finished quantum product, so treat this as a research direction rather than a product line.
Opsydia is a UK company with production facilities in Oxford, which is also where its science began. Its first customer was Lightbox Jewelry, a spin-out of De Beers, and De Beers later became a major customer. The company has said it planned to invest in its Oxford production and build a larger sales team. We did not find a current headcount.
On people and culture, the pieces we read name a small team of scientists and engineers. Alastair Smith is chair and Lewis Fish has been quoted as a systems engineer. The founders advise other spin-outs to check that customers really want the product, to put commercial value on their intellectual property and to bring in commercial expertise early. That is the founders' own advice rather than a description of daily life at the company, and we found no culture or values page.
The roles at a company like this are a mixture of optical and laser engineers, software developers who run and improve the machines, production staff who build and test them, and sales and customer support. Physics, engineering and computing are the natural starting subjects. A student who likes the idea of applying lab physics to a real product, and does not mind a small team where everyone sees the result of their work, would find it interesting. Check the company's website for the current picture.
Website: www.opsydia.com
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