How to Make Use of a Jeweler's Loupe

Many people nowadays have their own jeweler's loupe and like using it to examine their jewels.

Regrettably, not everyone is taught how to correctly use a loupe.

Using a loupe isn't difficult, but doing it correctly can save you time and money by allowing you to analyze your own jewelry for identifying characteristics, cracks, chips, and other damage without having to rush to the jeweler every time you smash your ring against something hard.

However, before we look at how to use a loupe, I'd want to go over some of the features of loupes so you can choose a good magnifier for yourself.

Choosing a loupe: The magnification is the first item to consider.

Loupes are available at magnifications ranging from 2x to 30x or even higher.

For our needs, it is advisable to use a 10x loupe since this is the magnification that is used by the gem grading labs to grade diamonds.

More magnification may give you an excessive expectation, while less magnification may not provide enough information.

The number of lenses in a loupe is the next consideration.

The inexpensive loupes tend to have a single lens.

These are good for casual use, but they may cause difficulty with focus and clarity.

A triplet loupe contains three lenses that correct magnification for the clearest possible image while also correcting any color abnormalities caused by reflected light.

Finally, the body of your loupe should be black.

The black reduces reflections and does not introduce color like a silver or gold loupe body might.

When using a loupe, the most common error is not resting the loupe against something to keep its field of view steady and moving the loupe around.

Both errors make it difficult to maintain a consistent and concentrated perspective.

Learning to use a loupe is a basic process that may take several attempts to perfect.

The first thing you should do is open your loupe and place it in front of your eye.

I prefer to keep mine within an inch of my face.

To keep the loupe stable and relaxed, place a finger or the back of your palm on your face.

We now move the object we want to see into our field of view.

You'll need to bring the ring, or diamond, within an inch or two of the loupe with multiple loupes.

Do not move the loupe; instead, move the gemstone you're looking at to bring it into focus and to bring it into view.

That’s it.

That's all there is to it.