How to Use a Loupe Jewelry Magnifier

A loupe is essential for careful examination of jewelry.

Buying or selling jewelry is easier with the right equipment, and a loupe is nearly essential for close examination. The loupe -- pronounced loop -- is a compact magnifier made just for jewelry. It is portable and pocket size, easily carried -- and easily lost. A triplet loupe in 10x magnification is usually recommended for jewelry. A triplet loupe has three lenses to correct color and distortion, and a 10x loupe magnifies ten times the original size.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• a jeweler's loupe
• reading ability
• practice

1. Hold the loupe between your thumb and forefinger, and put your middle finger through the "hole" of the cover. This gives you better control of the loupe.

2. Place the item you want to view in your other hand, and hold the loupe to your eye right at the eye or nearly touching your glasses.

3. Move the jewelry in your hand to nearly touching the loupe. It will not be in focus until you get it very close to the loupe and your eye. Once it is in focus, you can move the jewelry to see the stones or different areas of a stone, any marks on the metal for identification, and flaws in the metal or the stones.

Tips & Warnings

• A loupe is essential for checking gemstones, flaws in diamonds or cracks in opals.

• A loupe larger than 10x will not be any more helpful than a 10x magnification loupe.