The Jeweler’s Loupe: What is it?

The jeweler’s loupe is a special tool that all jewelers use. This gadget allows them to examine a piece through high powered magnification. Loupes are also frequently referred to as hand lenses in a general sense, and there are many different categories of loupes. Jewelers usually use loupes that have a handle, which helps in focusing on very fine and small pieces of jewelry. Monocular is the standard for the industry, as opposed to a binocular structure which would require both eyes. These are the standard tools used in the grading of gemstone clarity inclusions and imperfections visible at 10x magnification have an impact on the overall quality and grading of the gem. Watch making uses another type of loupe and one can easily imagine why.

The mechanical workings of a watch are so small it would take a high powered loupe to even begin getting a good look at them, let alone how helpful they are when you need to actually start manipulating the internal workings of the watch in order to repair and replace parts. The jeweler’s loupe is a hugelyimportant tool in the industry, and remains a requirement for anyone trying to get a decent read on any jewelry piece.