Laser scanning to produce STL files?

Hi Orchid, Can anyone please give me a cost estimate to laser scan
jewelry (rings, pendants) and produce STL files? TIA

Michael, I understand an STL file to be a file of 3D points. It is
generated by a 3D scanner.

Presently I have $20,000 budgeted to set up a stone carving shop. If
I could walk across town today or drive anywhere in BC and pick up
the equipment within that budget I would have it tomorrow. Here is
what I want. Hopefully there are those from among the 13,000
subscribers to Orchid who will tell me if this is realistic.

(1) A slabbing machine which will cut stones into brooch-sized
objects (plus or minus ____ inches/cm).

(2) A 3D scanner which will scan from the ring and pendant sizes you
mention below to face size. We saw the latter in the Next Engine
video here.

(3) Software which will enlarge or reduce those scans (eg a human
mask could be reduced to a brooch size or vice-versa).

(4) Compatible connection of the scanner with a CNC (Computerized
Numerical Code) machine like the DeArmand machine which has been
discussed on Orchid.

(5) Instructions on how to use the complete system.

(6) Last but far from least. This budget could be doubled or tripled
if I have to fly across the continent a few times for adjustments
etc. or mail it long distances so I have to get it right the first
time - I need assurance that the equipment will do the job before I
buy it.

PS - I would like to thank the Orchid owners/moderators for the
learning opportunity which Orchid provides. I have access to a lot of
"carvable" stone from my prospecting work (they call it “dimension
stone” in the mining laws) and I have a shop with wet and dry
diamond-blade saws which allows me to do cuts and get a pretty good
idea about “carvability” (still not sure if that is a word). The
colour and patterning and strength and texture of a stone are usually
not known (to me anyway) until it is cut. Moving on to carving
jewelry and ornamental stone objects (like wall hangings) is my next
step. There is no jewelry school here that I know of which can teach
what I am asking about above.

Can anyone please give me a cost estimate to laser scan jewelry
(rings, pendants) and produce STL files

About $20K for a scanner that can resolve objects as small and
detailed as jewelry the another $10K for the software to process it
into a usable CAD file.