Where to buy a loupe

[decapr]

Hi all -

So what are your thoughts on buying a loupe? And how do you use it to check for loose stones?
Also any idea on the best/cheapest place to purchase a loupe? Thanks!

 

[belle]

Date: 3/17/2006 9:23:42 AM
Author:decapr
Hi all -

So what are your thoughts on buying a loupe? And how do you use it to check for loose stones?
Also any idea on the best/cheapest place to purchase a loupe? Thanks!

get one! they are very handy to have. you can always try ebay for some inexpensive options. 10x is really fine for most people, but you can get higher powered ones as well.

also try www.kassoy.com

 

[decapr]

Date: 3/17/2006 9:40:44 AM
Author: belle

Date: 3/17/2006 9:23:42 AM
Author:decapr
Hi all -

So what are your thoughts on buying a loupe? And how do you use it to check for loose stones?
Also any idea on the best/cheapest place to purchase a loupe? Thanks!

get one! they are very handy to have. you can always try ebay for some inexpensive options. 10x is really fine for most people, but you can get higher powered ones as well.

also try www.kassoy.com

I see them on ebay for under $10 are they ok to have or should I buy the one from Kassoy for $29? The ones on ebay say they are 10x but are so inexpensive (which is good but wondering about the quality of them...will they be alright? Thanks!

 

[denverappraiser]

I''m not a huge fan of cheapo tools but they do have their place. Think of the $1 bin at Home Depot. Many of the diamond websites and jewelry stores have them. A good loupe is a pretty useful device for a fair number of applications and the budget can range from under $2 to over $100 with lots of steps in between. The one that Dave Atlas (ie. oldminer) sells for $35 is very nice at www.gemappraisers.com.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[belle]

Date: 3/17/2006 9:58:23 AM
Author: decapr

Date: 3/17/2006 9:40:44 AM
Author: belle

Date: 3/17/2006 9:23:42 AM
Author:decapr
Hi all -

So what are your thoughts on buying a loupe? And how do you use it to check for loose stones?
Also any idea on the best/cheapest place to purchase a loupe? Thanks!

get one! they are very handy to have. you can always try ebay for some inexpensive options. 10x is really fine for most people, but you can get higher powered ones as well.

also try www.kassoy.com

I see them on ebay for under $10 are they ok to have or should I buy the one from Kassoy for $29? The ones on ebay say they are 10x but are so inexpensive (which is good but wondering about the quality of them...will they be alright? Thanks!

the ebay ones are fine for general use.

(watch those shipping charges!)

 

[Jensia]

I got a real good one on ebay but that was a couple years ago. The thing is priceless. I use it every day,lol
Do not buy the cheap plastic ones on ebay though, most are not true loupes. I thought I lost mine once , and bought a plastic one and it was really a magnifne glass, thank goodness I found the original one I bought

Jensia

 

[klavigne]

The housing for the lens doesn''t mean anything, plastic is fine. Just make sure that the lens is real glass, not plastic. The higher the grade i.e. quality of the lens the better you''ll be able to see the really small inclusions. I work in an optics lab and we use hte cheap plastic ones all the time. They are fine for most inspections. But it you want higher resolution go for a more expensive one, they almost always have high quality glass doublets.

 

[Jensia]

sorry, thats what I mean, the plastic lenses

 

[soulsis]

I am a Safety Manager and my company sells them. They are actually called magnifiers and are used by geology students. You have to look for a company that specializes in forestry/surveying. They range from $5.00 to about $75 canadaian.

 

[decapr]

Thanks for all the help! I bought one from Dave Atlas ( I got the $15 one figure for what I need it for it will be fine) Can''t wait to get it...
Now any insight on how to check for loose stones is there a trick or is it just obvious once you look through the Loupe?