Gauge/caliper? Loupe? What tools as a consumer

[beaujolais]

You all need pick up tools, also.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Diamond-and-Gem-4-Prong-Pick-up-Tool-Holder-/110843207010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cec51d62

---
Do you know if the digital scales are good to weight scrap gold pieces on? (I guess so, right?)

Does anyone else detest diamond tweezers? I had a pair but gave them away, as they seemed unsafe (stone could pop out of it). It had the rubberized ends, also. Yeah, they look cool in photos (see my avitar), but I don't understand why anyone would use them, unless they like looking for lost stones on the floor for hours.

 

[natascha]

You all need pick up tools, also.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Diamond-and-Gem-4-Prong-Pick-up-Tool-Holder-/110843207010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cec51d62

---
Do you know if the digital scales are good to weight scrap gold pieces on? (I guess so, right?)

Does anyone else detest diamond tweezers? I had a pair but gave them away, as they seemed unsafe (stone could pop out of it). It had the rubberized ends, also. Yeah, they look cool in photos (see my avitar), but I don't understand why anyone would use them, unless they like looking for lost stones on the floor for hours.

That's what they are called . I so need to get one of those, all I could find are the tweezers and I agree with you. They are fine to use if you are sorting stones or just quickly taking a peak. After spending two hours on my knees with my heart in my throat when I dropped my diamond, I definitively realized that I need one of those grabby things. The stupid diamond had shot across the floor and somehow managed to pass under a closed door .

 

[natascha]

Belomo 10x loupe. It is WAY better than the cheapies in my experience. Worth the money since a loupe is the most important tool you use.

Digital calipers. I would pay more for the small jewelery-specific ones. Mine are the cheap ones that you pictures and it is stupid huge, I think its for carpentry applications. I wish I had a smaller set.

One of those claw, graspy things for holding loose diamonds... like a pen you click and a claw pops out the end.

Diamond tweezers would be good to have, though I don't own them.

I ended up paying the extra for the small jewelry ones. Although I am a bit embarrassed to say that it was mainly due to me not wanting to pull out a full length caliper when viewing diamonds . They already think I am really weird since I loupe everything and if I am interested I want them to give me exact measurements and test for fluorescence .

 

[natascha]

I bought a digital scale recently. It's nice because I ebay a lot so I need to see if the jewelry weight is as adertised. It's also fun to weigh my gems and loose diamonds.

Interesting. I don't ebay (due to return shipping being a complete hassle for me) and I have a good place to sell gold and metals. They seriously have the best prices and are completely transparent. I was a tad suspicious until I saw that under the tiny store is a big workshop where they have their own smelter and that they use a lot of the metal they buy in their own production.

No- I didn't try the 20x loupe. The mail came late on Friday and I was headed out of town. Just opened the box, saw it was the wrong one,called the company, and then put it back in the box. On retrospect- I should have tried it out!! Oh well- I also had heard the 20x was not as good for an all round loupe-so wasn't too interested. The company was great,though, I already received my replacement 10x yesterday! Love it!!

That's what I heard too. I don't want a smaller viewing area and who really wants to see their diamonds inclusions at 20x?

 

[VRBeauty]

I bought a digital scale recently. It's nice because I ebay a lot so I need to see if the jewelry weight is as adertised. It's also fun to weigh my gems and loose diamonds.

Forte - which digital scale did you get?

 

[ForteKitty]

This one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/100g-x-0-01...=673270031112792267&pid=100011&prg=1005&rk=1&

I was highly suspicious when I received it because it smelled like mothballs and the "CD" cover had Mariah Carey on it, but the instruction was printed on the backside so I couldn't throw it out. Turns out it works perfectly fine! I had a bunch of Barry gems so I weighed each one and the carat weight was spot on.

 

[Lee Little]

For measuring mounted gems I use an 8x loupe that has a light built in and a scale built in. Much faster and easier than a caliper. You just loupe the stone, line up the little ruler and see how many mm it is, no need to touch the stone or check to see if you are on a prong etc like with a caliper. I don't know where it comes from or how to find another as it was a gift. I have bought little things like 10x loupes and tweezers from Rio Grande, very common jewelry supply outlet in the states. Catalogs are free and anybody can order. Best regards, Lee

 

[Lee Little]

Another thing I meant to say is that the cheap loupes like on ebay etc are often mis-labeled on the power. A 20x, 30x and a 10x may be the same thing but only a different box on several Chinese brands, a 10x may really be a 5x etc. They are not trustworthy numbers in many cases. Lee