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Choosing and Using a Jewelry Loupe

By Carly Wickell, About.com

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More Loupe Characteristics

Example of Jewelry Loupe

Example of Jewelry Loupe

© National Jeweler's Supplies

Loupe Terms to Understand

You will hear other terms when you shop for a loupe. Three important terms are:

    Focal Length: The distance that you hold the loupe from an object in order to get the best focus and magnification. As magnification goes up, focal length goes down.

    Field of View: This refers to the size of the area you can see through the lens. The diameter of the lens affects the field of view, but so does magnification power--the higher the power the smaller the view.

    Depth of Field: This characteristic tells you how far you can move the loupe towards or away from an item and still have the item in focus. The higher the power, the shorter the depth of field.

Photo courtesy of National Jeweler’s Supplies.

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