I got a loupe..now what?

[Angel7]

Well I got my loupe (18 x 30mm) and was very excited to start checking out my rings. I started with my grandma''s ering that was given to me and to be honest, I don''t know what to look for!!

Yes It looks pretty and sparkley when I bring the ring up to it but should I be looking for inclusions? Scratches? Hearts and Arrows? Obviously I''m no expert!!

Any help would be great!

Also, I have NO IDEA how some of you take pics through the loupe! I tried, it was horrible!

Thanks!

 

[JC]

I think that its a good thing that you are having trouble seeing inclusions. Sometimes when a customer finds the inclusion(s) it begins to bug them to the point that they may no longer want the diamond. Its obviously an eye-clean diamond not too mention very difficult to see flaws with magnification. It may be best to not see what is there, because once you can see what is there you may be disappointed and soon forget that beautiful impression that you had about the diamond.

 

[Angel7]

Thanks JC.

I was actually thinking that too..I was looking at it for a while and just couldn''t find an inclusion. I don''t know much about grandma''s ring but it must be a nice diamond!

Thank you again.

 

[Mara]

don''t worry I am the same way. no matter how many diamonds I see, I have the hardest time finding an inclusion! I had a VS1 and i never saw them until my appraiser pointed them out and then sometimes i could find them and sometimes not. Then I had an SI1 where i couldn''t see a darn thing regardless of how many times I looked at it, I think all inclusions were white. Now I have an SI2 that does have alot of small dotted inclusions, one of which is a black one which fascinates me, it''s like a tiny piece of dirt embedded into the stone. i think it''s somewhat cool, i can only see it if i put my eye really close to the stone, so it''s very much eye-clean at normal distances! but this stone is definitely more fun to look at through the loupe though i STILL can''t seem to find most of the inclusions on the plot, just this black one!!

 

[DiamondExpert]

A loupe is quite difficult to use effectively without some experience.

In the beginning make sure the stones/jewelry are CLEAN. Begin by looking for the most obvious features like surface defects - chips, cracks, etc.

A major difficulty in seeing inclusions, especially in diamond, is the lighting. Ideally, you need darkfield lighting and here a gem microscope is the best instrument.

 

[RockDoc]

I agree with Gary.....

A loupe in the hands of the inexperienced, and untrained, is NOT the same as someone who is properly educated and trained to use it.


The dark field illumination is just important.... ITS CRITICAL. Also everyone''s vision is different. THis may vary what is able to be observed by a lot.

If you can pick out the inclusions, fine - but if you can''t, with just using a loupe, then it doesn''t really prove much.

To really become skilled at this takes a fair amount of time and practice. Finding inclusions at 10x is often difficult to do, and even gemologists usually use the zoom /higher power on a scope to find the inclusions.

DIY without proper training, practice and guidance, is sort of useless.

Rockdoc

 

[Angel7]

Thanks Mara, you made me feel better!

Obviously I am not trained to use the loupe. Just wanted it to look a little closer and possibly learn something.

It is fun though!

 

[moremoremore]

I say STOP LOOKING ASAP!!!

Nothing good can come from it.

 

[Angel7]

Date: 6/16/2005 12:41:04 PM
Author: moremoremore
I say STOP LOOKING ASAP!!!

Nothing good can come from it.

Why? I''ll start to find inclusions and drive myself nuts! It''s ok, it''s not "my" ring. NOW if it was a new ering, yes I agree with you, I would probably go crazy!

 

[moremoremore]

LOL. Yeah, I''m just teasing. But that''s what happened to me. A vendor sent me a free loupe with my new ring. BAD idea

 

[Patty]

I have an I-1 stone that has one large crystal right under the table. It''s hard for me to pick out with my naked eye and sometimes I have trouble even with a loupe. I find that I have to angle the stone "just so" to see it and then it suddenly looks very obvious!

 

[Maxine]

When the appraiser showed me my stone, he turned it at different angles to show the inclusion....wan''t visible from top down...like it was on another "plane"...does that make sense???
He looked at the diamond from different angles....

 

[Angel7]

I''ve been looking from all angles, just trying to get a glimpse of something. To be honest, I''m so uneducated that there probably is something right in front of me and I''m missing it! I just love looking at it...so sparkely........yum!