Using a Jewelry Loupe

Most people have their own jewelry loupe these days and love to look at their jewelry with it. Unfortunately not everyone is taught how to use the loupe properly. Using a loupe is not very difficult, but using it properly can help you check your jewelry to see features, cracks, chips, or other damage without having to run to a craftsman all the time to hit your ring on something solid. Before we take a look at how to use a loupe.

I would like to explain some of the features of loupes so you can choose the quality enhancement you will use. Choosing a loupe: The first thing you should look for is enlargement. Loupes can be obtained with a 2x to 30x magnification, or even more, a magnification.

For our purposes it is best to use a 10x loupe as this is a magnification used by precious grading labs to measure diamonds. A slight increase may not show enough details, while a further expansion may give you unrealistic expectations.

The next thing you should look for is the number of lenses the loupe has. Cheap loaves usually have a single lens. These are just right for use, but they can present problems with focus and clarity. Triplet loupe has three lenses that adjust your magnification to present a clear vision as much as possible and help to correct any color problems that may be presented by the reflected light. And finally, your loupe should also have a dark body. Black helps reduce exposure and does not shock any color like a silver or gold loupe body. Using the loupe:

The biggest mistake most people make is not resting the loupe on something to strengthen their viewing and moving loupe field. Both errors make it difficult to obtain a consistent and focused perspective. Using a loupe is easy to learn but it can take a lot of effort to succeed. The first thing you want to do is open your loupe and lift it up to your eye.

I like to hold my own no more than an inch away. Relax your finger or the back of your hand on your face to help keep the loupe stable and comfortable. Now we bring the thing we want to see to our field of viewing. For most loupes you will need to bring a ring, or diamond, within an inch or two of a loupe. Do not remove the loupe, move the gem you are looking at to highlight it and focus on what you want to see. That's it. It's that simple.