With the continuous development and prosperity of the gemstone market, more and more people take gemstone collection as their hobby. However, the situation in the gemstone market is getting more and more complicated, more and more fake gemstones flow into the market, and it is difficult for the general consumers to identify the authenticity of gemstones by visual observation at the time of purchase. Many people may say, when buying gemstones, don’t they usually come with gemstone authentication certificates? But I have to tell you that it is very easy to fake a gemstone certificate. So in many cases, looking at the inclusions of a gemstone through a microscope becomes the only reliable way to identify a gemstone. This is why the microscope has become an indispensable tool for gemologists to observe gemstones. However, if you are a gemstone collector, a stereo microscope is also indispensable.
About microscope magnification
Generally speaking, as long as the microscope can have a magnification of 40x, then it will be sufficient to observe most of the gemstones. However, if you want a more comprehensive view of gemstones, then you can opt for a microscope that has a higher magnification, such as one that has a magnification of 80x. However, if you have a large enough budget, then you can choose a microscope with as much magnification as possible. After all, the category of gemstones observed this way will be more comprehensive.
If you just want to do a simple grading of gemstones, then you just need to have a magnifying glass with a magnification of 10x. But in general, a microscope is more convenient. Because a microscope provides the observer with a larger and brighter viewing angle, it helps the observer to see the gemstone more clearly. A microscope can reveal details of the stone’s internal fillings and the concentration of its fuel that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
In addition, there are many gemologists who prefer to use a microscope to take pictures. The microscope that can be used to take pictures is a trinocular microscope, which means that in addition to the two eyepieces used for observation, there is also an interface to connect to a camera or a digital LCD screen. What is the use of this camera? You can use it to show your customers certain characteristics of gemstones or the way certain jewelry is set. It is also convenient for you to explain to your customers some professional knowledge about gemstones or jewelry.
What are the characteristics of a microscope?
Truth be told, to purchase a very specialized microscope, your budget would ideally need to be over $5,000. However, if you don’t require that much from your microscope, or if you don’t use that many functions, you can purchase a fairly edible microscope for just a few hundred dollars. Also. What you need to know is that it is much more important to know how to use a microscope properly and accurately. If you want to use a microscope to look at gemstones, you’re better off with a stereo microscope because they contain two eyepieces with two separate light paths that provide a three-dimensional view. This is more conducive to observing gemstones in detail.
Lens of the microscope
The lens of a microscope consists of an objective lens and an eyepiece. Simply put, the objective lens of a microscope is the one closest to the gemstone, and the magnification depends importantly on the objective lens. Then the eyepiece, the eyepiece is called the eyepiece because it is the lens closest to our eyes. The magnification of a microscope is the magnification of the objective lens multiplied by the magnification of the eyepiece. Generally, the lens is labeled with the magnification of the lens. For example, if the eyepiece you are using has “3X” on it and your objective lens says “20X”, then the magnification of the object you are looking at is 60X. When it comes to objective lenses and eyepieces, we have to talk about their lenses. The lens is a very important determinant of how good a lens is. Some vendors will use plastic to make the lenses, which is a far cry from quality glass lenses.
Here’s an easier way to determine the brightness of the imaging, and that’s by the size of the lens. Generally speaking, the larger the lens, the brighter the image will be seen. The eyepieces that come with the microscopes sold on the market nowadays are generally between 10mm and 30mm in size. If your eyesight is not so good, you’d better choose a microscope with larger eyepieces.
About the microscope stand
There are microscopes that come with a large stand, and there are stands that can be fixed to the table. However, when you are shopping for a microscope, it is best for you to have some knowledge about microscope stands. You can learn about it in the following three dimensions.
The first is how far the range of motion of the brace is. This range is not just the distance the stand can extend, but also the distance the stand can be raised. The higher the stand can be raised, the greater the volume of the object it can observe.
The second is whether or not the stand is able to rotate. If the stand is able to rotate, then you have a wider range of uses for your bench. And you will also be able to easily show your customers how gemstones are imaged in the microscope.
The third one is whether the eyepieces on the stand are removable or not. You can not worry too much about this question because most of the microscopes with stands on the market have eyepieces that are removable. This allows you to change the eyepiece you want to adjust the magnification of the object.
Finally, if possible you would do well to make all three of these conditions a consideration when you choose to buy a microscope to help you realize more useful features.
