Many people have their own jeweller’s loupe these days and love to look at their jewellery with it. Unfortunately, not everyone is taught how to use a loupe properly. Using a loupe is not terribly difficult, but using it properly can really help you examine your own jewellery for identifying characteristics, cracks, chips, or other damage without having to run to the jeweller every time to smack your ring on something hard. Before we look at how to use a loupe though, I would like to explain some of the characteristics of loupes so that you can select a quality magnifier for your own use.
Selecting a loupe:
The first thing to
look at is the magnification. Loupes can be found with 2x magnification up to
30x, or even more, magnification. For our purposes it is best to use a 10x
loupe since this is the magnification that is used by the gem grading labs to
grade diamonds. Less magnification may not show enough detail, while more
magnification may give you an unrealistic expectation.
The next thing to
look at is the number of lenses a loupe has. The inexpensive loupes tend to
have a single lens. These are fine for casual use, but may introduce focus and
clarity issues. A triplet loupe has three lenses that correct your
magnification to present the clearest possible view and help correct any colour
issues that may be introduced by reflected light.
And finally, your
loupe should also have a black body. The black helps cut down on reflections
and does not introduce any colour like a silver or gold loupe body may.
Using a loupe:
The biggest
mistakes that most people make is not resting the loupe against something to
steady their field of view and moving the loupe around. Both mistakes make it
difficult to get a consistent and focused view.
Using a loupe
really is a simple thing to learn but may take many tries to master. The first
thing that you want to do is open up your loupe and hold it up to your eye. A
good position is no farther than an inch away. Rest a finger or the back of
your hand against your face to help you keep the loupe stable and relaxed.
Now we bring the
object we want to view into our field of view. With many loupes you will need
to bring the ring, or diamond, within an inch or two of the loupe. Do not move
the loupe around, move just the gemstone you are viewing to bring it into view
and to focus on exactly what you want to see. That’s it. It really is that
simple.
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