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How To Properly Use a Loupe
A Loupe (correctly pronounced loop) put simply, is a small
magnifying glass.
A loupe has many uses, you should think of it as an essential tool
for owners of all fine jewelry. It should not be limited to use only
when purchasing a high quality diamond or wedding ring.
With a loupe you can check for cracks in the stones of your
jewelry.
You can examine the shanks and settings of your jewelry to make
sure that you are not going to loose a precious stone from your
setting.
You can look for inclusions that will help you to assess the value
of the stone.
What to look for in a good quality loupe:
The number of lenses:
One lens: Loupes made with a single lens are generally of lesser
quality, they will cause a distortion of the object you are
magnifying.
Three lenses: A triplet loupe is a magnifier that contains three
lenses placed together in such a way that distortion and color
problems are corrected.
Understanding the X rating:
Loupes are labeled with a number, followed by the symbol X.
Think of it this way, X = times. For example, a 2X loupe makes
objects appear two times their actual size and a 5X is five times
the actual size of the object.
The best loupe for jewelry:
A 10X triplet loupe. Always purchase one with a black frame to
eliminate distortion caused by light reflecting from the inside sides
of the loupe.
The FTC in the United States requires that stone grading must be
done under than 10X magnification.
The FTC standard states that any flaws that do not show up under
10X magnification are considered nonexistent for jewelry grading
purposes.
30X loupes:
While bigger often seems better:
30X loupes are far too powerful for any person who is not
extremely experienced in their use.
A 10X is sufficient to easily examine inclusions and fissures in
gemstones and their use is relatively easy to learn.
How to use your new loupe:
Most important, practice, practice, practice.
First: Hold the loupe between the thumb and forefinger of either
hand.
Second: Hold the gemstone or piece of jewelry in the other hand.
Third: Bring both pieces very close to the eye you cannot see tiny
flaws at a distance.
If you wear glasses, do not remove them.
You should keep the loupe approximately one inch (more or less)
from the eye, and the object you are examining should be
approximately one inch from the loupe.
Move the loupe in and out in very tiny increments until you have
the object clearly focused.
You are now free to rotate the object, and look for flaws.
Note:
It is usually good to brace your elbows on a table or flat stable
surface when viewing gemstones. A steady hand is most likely to
find the flaws that a shaky hand may overlook.
Things you should consider before purchasing a gemstone.
Your loupe can be of great importance here:
Symmetry is the stone balanced?
Is there the correct number of facets for this particular cut?
How is the sharpness of the facet edges?
Hard stones should have sharp edges most synthetic stones will
have softer edges and will appear more rounded when viewing
through a loupe.
How is the over all proportion of the gemstone?
Are there inclusions, flaws, or bubbles in the gemstone?
Inclusions in colored gemstones are not necessarily a bad thing
they can provide positive identification that the stone is a genuine
rather than a synthetic stone.
Flaws in colored gemstones usually do not reduce the value of the
gem.
Bubbles are generally a sign of a synthetic gemstone, and you
can learn quite quickly how to spot these flaws.
Are there chips or scratches or cracks in the gemstone?
Brittle stones tend to chip and crack more when they are placed
into a setting, while soft stones often scratch easily.
Be sure to check at the prongs of the setting to check for chips
and scratches that may have occurred at the time of setting.
So as you can see, the loupe can be a valuable tool in helping
you locate that special piece of jewelry that is sure to become a
family heirloom!
To purchase these Loupes, please visit Renninger’s Antiques
Market, Adamstown, Pa-Booth B12 or contact Len Possoff at 215-
275-0870 or poss71@verizon.net
A Loupe (correctly pronounced loop) put simply, is a small
magnifying glass.
A loupe has many uses, you should think of it as an essential tool
for owners of all fine jewelry. It should not be limited to use only
when purchasing a high quality diamond or wedding ring.
With a loupe you can check for cracks in the stones of your
jewelry.
You can examine the shanks and settings of your jewelry to make
sure that you are not going to loose a precious stone from your
setting.
You can look for inclusions that will help you to assess the value
of the stone.
What to look for in a good quality loupe:
The number of lenses:
One lens: Loupes made with a single lens are generally of lesser
quality, they will cause a distortion of the object you are
magnifying.
Three lenses: A triplet loupe is a magnifier that contains three
lenses placed together in such a way that distortion and color
problems are corrected.
Understanding the X rating:
Loupes are labeled with a number, followed by the symbol X.
Think of it this way, X = times. For example, a 2X loupe makes
objects appear two times their actual size and a 5X is five times
the actual size of the object.
The best loupe for jewelry:
A 10X triplet loupe. Always purchase one with a black frame to
eliminate distortion caused by light reflecting from the inside sides
of the loupe.
The FTC in the United States requires that stone grading must be
done under than 10X magnification.
The FTC standard states that any flaws that do not show up under
10X magnification are considered nonexistent for jewelry grading
purposes.
30X loupes:
While bigger often seems better:
30X loupes are far too powerful for any person who is not
extremely experienced in their use.
A 10X is sufficient to easily examine inclusions and fissures in
gemstones and their use is relatively easy to learn.
How to use your new loupe:
Most important, practice, practice, practice.
First: Hold the loupe between the thumb and forefinger of either
hand.
Second: Hold the gemstone or piece of jewelry in the other hand.
Third: Bring both pieces very close to the eye you cannot see tiny
flaws at a distance.
If you wear glasses, do not remove them.
You should keep the loupe approximately one inch (more or less)
from the eye, and the object you are examining should be
approximately one inch from the loupe.
Move the loupe in and out in very tiny increments until you have
the object clearly focused.
You are now free to rotate the object, and look for flaws.
Note:
It is usually good to brace your elbows on a table or flat stable
surface when viewing gemstones. A steady hand is most likely to
find the flaws that a shaky hand may overlook.
Things you should consider before purchasing a gemstone.
Your loupe can be of great importance here:
Symmetry is the stone balanced?
Is there the correct number of facets for this particular cut?
How is the sharpness of the facet edges?
Hard stones should have sharp edges most synthetic stones will
have softer edges and will appear more rounded when viewing
through a loupe.
How is the over all proportion of the gemstone?
Are there inclusions, flaws, or bubbles in the gemstone?
Inclusions in colored gemstones are not necessarily a bad thing
they can provide positive identification that the stone is a genuine
rather than a synthetic stone.
Flaws in colored gemstones usually do not reduce the value of the
gem.
Bubbles are generally a sign of a synthetic gemstone, and you
can learn quite quickly how to spot these flaws.
Are there chips or scratches or cracks in the gemstone?
Brittle stones tend to chip and crack more when they are placed
into a setting, while soft stones often scratch easily.
Be sure to check at the prongs of the setting to check for chips
and scratches that may have occurred at the time of setting.
So as you can see, the loupe can be a valuable tool in helping
you locate that special piece of jewelry that is sure to become a
family heirloom!
To purchase these Loupes, please visit Renninger’s Antiques
Market, Adamstown, Pa-Booth B12 or contact Len Possoff at 215-
275-0870 or poss71@verizon.net
