Jewelry professionals use a loupe(pronounced loop), also called a magnifier, to inspect gemstones and jewelry. These magnifiers have special lenses that allow our eyes to focus on an object at a much closer distance than is normally possible, helping you to see the gemstone or jewelry in larger vision and revealing tiny details which we couldn't see with our normal vision.
Magnification Power
Loupes are labeled with a number, followed by the symbol "X," which means "times." For example, a 2X loupe makes an object appear two times its actual size and a 5X loupe shows you a times-five increase.
How to purchase a jeweler's loupe?
There are quality differences between the pricier and cheaper loupes. The standard loupes for most gemologists have about 20mm lenses (may vary between 18mm to 25mm) in 10 magnification times increase. You also want one that has been corrected for aplanatic and achromatic aberrations to avoid seeing fuzzy or out of focus images.
Keywords on using a loupe correctly:
- Purchase the right loupe you need.
- Find a place with as bright as possible.
- Place a clean towel on the surface you plan to use.
- Open the loupe until the loupe is straight. This position is the most comfortable one for loupe use.
- Pick up the loupe with the hand on the same side as your seeing eye.
- A 10X triplet loupe is a good choice for viewing jewelry.
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