Is this loupe good for consumers?

[KirstLWA]

I'd like to buy a loupe so I can keep an eye on my prongs and just to look at my stone

I'd like to see the inscription as I think it would be cool to see at least once but this new stone has lead me to be interested in looking more closely at what I already own also.

Is this one good enough to both check the stone and to see the inscription on the girdle? I have great eyesight and the stone is 2.3ct so hoping the 10x will be a one stop shop!

Thanks for any help!

Belomo 10x Triplet, Loupe, Hand Lens
This is one of the best lenses on the market for the price. Unchanged for many years, the Belomo™ lens is extremely accurate and has an indestructable steel casing whilst still being lightweight. Belomo™, a Belarussian instrument maker have been making lenses for years and work in partnership with German glass maker Carl Zeiss AG to produce high quality optics such as this lens.

The lens on this triplet is 21 mm diameter, 19 viewable, which is almost twice the viewable area of a comparable Bausch & Lomb Hastings 10x Triplet. True 3 element achromatic lense provides a bright and crisp view without color distortion. The housing is made of tough steel whilst still being lightweight. This is the geology hand lens of choice to take out in the field as it is strong, durable and lightweight. It is not plastic like others. The focal distance is 28 mm and it can disassembled for easy cleaning.

 

[Bron357]

A 10x might not be enough to see the GIA inscription on the girdle, you might need a 20x. Also don’t forget depending on where the prongs are, it might be hard to see.
The Belomo x10 Loupe I have as part of my Gemology course so it’s a good one.

 

[HDer]

The Belomo is a good loupe, but second what Bron357 said about the possibility of needing more magnification. The last time I asked about the same thing, people steered me towards getting a microscope instead. Most jewelers will use microscopes to look at inscriptions rather than loupes.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I can't see any inscriptons with a 10x loupe. But I'd caution anyone to start inspecting settings with 20x. OCD people might see things that they perceive are imperfections, and that's gonna drive them nuts. lol!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Is this one good enough to both check the stone and to see the inscription on the girdle? I have great eyesight and the stone is 2.3ct so hoping the 10x will be a one stop shop!

That could be a tough task. At my age I'd need 30X >. I use the 40X on my microscope to read the inscriptions. The Belomo is a good loupe for inspecting prongs.

 

[KirstLWA]

Perfect! Thanks everyone!

I appreciate the help!

 

[HDer]

I got out my USB microscope yesterday, and finally was able to locate my inscription. As you can see, it's not easy to read even with a much higher than 10x magnification.

 

[WinkHPD]

I find myself cranking my microscope up to at least 30 X although I can see the inscription in the scope at 20 X. It is much easier to read at even higher magnification.

It is the rare person, and usually one with healthy amount of experience who can read an inscription at 10X.

Wink

 

[sledge]

So for those of you using microscopes, what do you recommend? I recently bought this little guy, but we aren't getting along and it's about to find it's way in the trash can.

https://www.amazon.com/Carson-MicroBrite-60x-120x-Lighted-Microscope/dp/B00LAX52IQ?th=1

Looking locally I saw some used units. Thoughts?

Option 1 - $40

• American Optical Microscope Sixty Spencer, Two Objectives
• Style Inclined Monocular
• Eyepiece Wide Field 10x
• Nosepiece Two Piece
• Focusing Coaxial coarse & fine adjustment
• Stage Stage clips
• Objectives 10x, 43x AO infinity corrected
• Substage Disc diaphragm with 5 settings

Option 2 - $89

• Premiere Microscope
• Rotating 3 lenses
• 4x, 10x, and 40x with 10x eye piece
• Like new

Option 3 - $399 (would try to talk him down to $150 or less)

• American-made Bausch & Lomb medical-grade microscope used by my uncle in medical school during the early '40s.
• Premium grade scope in like-new condition...it's NOT a cheap imported product from a high school biology class.
• All moving parts adjust and move easily and smoothly.
• There are no scratches, dings, dents, abrasions, mars, or scrapes.
• The are no scratches or blemishes on the 2 eyepieces or the 3 lenses.
• One of the lenses is marked with the word "OIL", which is the lens used in cedar oil immersion viewing. There is a small bottle of cedar oil in the storage case with instructions on its use. The oil lens can also be used for normal viewing without oil.
• This microscope comes with everything you see in the pictures.
• The serial number 264825.
• The carrying handle on the storage box is missing, but a suitable replacement can be found at any hardware store, Lowes, or Home Depot.
• 5X and 10X eyepieces
• 10X, 43X, and 97X lenses on the turret
• 2 different light sources with new power cords
• A concave and convex reflecting light mirror
• A variable aperture to control the amount of light entering the microscope.
• A slot for inserting colored light filters.
• Course and fine focusing adjustments.
• A slide storage box
• 2 manual slide clips
• A dust cover
• A storage case locking key
• 2 light filters
• Lens storage containers
• A lockable storage case
• A small bottle of cedar oil with instructions for its use

 

[HDer]

Those look like some serious microscopes. I will let someone else more experienced comment on the specific ones you've listed.

A couple of general comments though:
1. Binocular microscopes are supposed to be more comfortable.
2. With magnification the depth of field is very thin and any movement makes the picture blurry. So finding a way to hold your object still at the angle you want to look at it is very important. Unlike slides which are easy to secure it's a bit trickier with jewelry.
3. Lighting is important. Depending on the scope you choose you may want a secondary light source.
4. I'd still seriously consider a USB microscope. Even with my low quality one the ability to share pictures is super useful.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Viewing an inscription is more about proper orientation of the diamond. You have to position the girdle so that you're looking at the skin- and not through it. If you're doing it that way, a 10x loupe works for these old eyes. Not quite as old as winkies, but no spring chicken either
Of course, this is far easier with a loose diamond as opposed to a mounted stone.

As a general note- 10x is the standard for examining a diamond for clarity. I can not use a 15 or 20x and properly grade.....

 

[oldminer]

I regularly use a 30X loupe for reading inscriptions. It takes skill to use a loupe for the process. It is much easier to use reflected light and a good microscope, but the loupe is a lot smaller and easier to travel with.

 

[sledge]

Those look like some serious microscopes. I will let someone else more experienced comment on the specific ones you've listed.

A couple of general comments though:
1. Binocular microscopes are supposed to be more comfortable.
2. With magnification the depth of field is very thin and any movement makes the picture blurry. So finding a way to hold your object still at the angle you want to look at it is very important. Unlike slides which are easy to secure it's a bit trickier with jewelry.
3. Lighting is important. Depending on the scope you choose you may want a secondary light source.
4. I'd still seriously consider a USB microscope. Even with my low quality one the ability to share pictures is super useful.

Is this the scope you have? If so, I was going to buy and missed the sale. Also, what do you use to stabilize a mounted stone so you can view using it?

https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Microscope-Flexible-Observation-Magnification/dp/B00XNYXQHE

I agree about the need for a super steady platform. That is one of the issues I struggle with on that $12 unit I recently bought. One hand is holding the scope and the other is holding the diamond.

And when I do catch an image, it is so blown up I can only see a small portion of the area and can't navigate it too well.

I just think I'd do better with a stationary base. Putting it to a laptop screen is even better.

 

[HDer]

Is this the scope you have? If so, I was going to buy and missed the sale. Also, what do you use to stabilize a mounted stone so you can view using it?

https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Microscope-Flexible-Observation-Magnification/dp/B00XNYXQHE

I agree about the need for a super steady platform. That is one of the issues I struggle with on that $12 unit I recently bought. One hand is holding the scope and the other is holding the diamond.

And when I do catch an image, it is so blown up I can only see a small portion of the area and can't navigate it too well.

I just think I'd do better with a stationary base. Putting it to a laptop screen is even better.

That's the one. For face up views the ring box I have works reasonably well. But when I was taking these side shots recently on a wobbly table the rocking back and forth of the ring was maddening. I ended up doing nothing more sophisticated than putting a pen on top of the ring to stabilize it a bit more but if you can find a cheaper ring holder (a ring bear?) I would consider it a worthwhile investment.

 

[WinkHPD]

You can use this stoneholder from GIA for nice stable shots.



And you can find some great USB microscopes here: https://www.dinolite.us/

They are not overly expensive, much less than a good binocular mircroscope, but WOW you can get WAY up close and personal if you need to.

Wink

 

[yssie]

I can't even use a 20x or 30x without making my eyeballs ache - DOF is SO shallow!