Using a loupe to examine a precious stone or an expensive piece of jewellery isn't always necessary, and it's something which many people have never felt the need to do before in their lives. A lot of people who own expensive jewellery items wouldn't even be able to tell you what a loupe looks like, let alone know how to use one.

However, these small but useful items will magnify a precious stone, gem or piece of jewellery, allowing you to inspect it, for whatever reason you may need to. 10x loupes are among the most common, while 15x, 20x and even 30x are available if you need something stronger.  

Before you commit to buying an expensive item of jewellery, you should make a habit of louping the piece before handing over your cash. This is increasingly important if you're buying an expensive stone from a marketplace or from tradesmen in a foreign town, since they will often try to sell you fake pieces. Jewellery stores are not renowned for doing this, although it's still not unheard of within the most professional of establishments. Investing in a good quality loupe will allow you to closely inspect the pieces of jewellery you're about to purchase in order to determine whether or not you're getting the real deal. 

 

Not everybody knows how to spot a genuine piece of jewellery or a gem, so there are a couple of options available to you. Researching the internet can provide you with a vast amount of information; however, it can be overwhelming and not everybody has the time to immerse themselves in a jeweller's world. Many jewellers will offer their services to you if you'd like them to inspect a piece of jewellery, so if it's a particularly expensive item, you might like to consider this option.

 

Another reason why many people use a loupe to examine items such as precious stones is because many pieces have engravings or letters on them which cannot be read clearly by the naked eye. The only way to truly discover what the item has been engraved with is to use a loupe or a microscope. In many cases, something as simple as a magnifying glass won't be good enough, which is why the loupe has gained so much popularity as a useful tool when it comes to inspecting the detail of your jewellery.