LOUPES COMPARED
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Contents of this page:
10X loupes (scroll down or click here);
15X to 30X loupes + double loupes (scroll down or click here)
Warning about triplet loupes (scroll down or click here)

See also, How to Choose a Magnifier

A loupe is a small folding magnifier, typically 10X magnification (though it can be as low as 5X or as high as 30X). When examining marks on jewellery or the quality of gemstones, or anything small (stamps, coins, insect & plant samples, PCB solder joints...) a loupe is your most important tool, without being able to see, all other tools are useless. When examining diamonds and gemstones a loupe is the most important 'tester', the inclusions tell you more than any electronic tester.

There are quite a few loupes listed below, so you may wish to scroll down to the price-range / quality (or magnification) you want, rather than read everything.

If you have our mail order catalogue in front of you I suggest you print this page and use it as a reference. The page numbers below refer to our Summer-Autumn 2009 mail order catalogue.  

Large Size, usually low magnification

PAGE 4: the three folding magnifiers are just a bit large and low-power to be termed 'loupes', but if you want a magnifier for reading larger marks on furniture and porcelain, these are a good choice; and the one on the bottom could be called a loupe, it's measures an impressive 30mm diameter and when the two lenses are combined has a magnification of about 10X (though probably closer to 8X). The linen proovers at the bottom left were originally designed for counting the number of threads per inch on linen, but they can be used instead of a loupe for other flat items such as stamps, coins, prints, postcards and paintings.

10X Magnification

(scroll down for stronger magnifications)
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All fold into a hard case, all have metal casings except for 10X10 (£2.00) and the Zeiss (£69.00 and £89.00) which fold into plastic cases.  Reminder:  the first figure is the magnification, the second is the lens diameter, e.g. 20X21 = 20X magnification, 21mm diameter lens. The standard (and recommended) magnification used for gemstones and jewellery, stamps and coins is 10X.

PAGE 9, CHEAPIES:

The two on the top left cost £2.00 each and, as you might expect, they are not 'serious' magnifiers. The 10X15 has an alluminium casing and plastic rim, and produces the worst image I have ever seen; the double lens below it is very popular at Christmas time as a stocking filler. Both are supplied in a cardboard box (the second one, the stocking-filler, has a very nice cardboard box).

The bottom loupe in the box marked "21mm loupes" needs a special mention. It is 10X magnification, it comes in a nice fitted box with a real hinged lid, and it is very large, 21mm diameter. The quality is not as atrocious as the £2.00 cheapies, but it is not good. I sell these because this model seems to be appearing in every street market and antiques fair (and they made my 'proper' loupes seem expensive) so now you can buy them from me for just £4.00...if you are not concerned about the quality of the lens.

PAGE 9, MEDIUM QUALITY:

These can be found on this web site in the price range under £20.00 or £20.00 upwards.

The 10X12, £6.00 (top middle) is chosen by many traders at the fairs, the quality is OK, it's small and so fits comfortably in the pocket, and it's not too expensive which is good because most traders keep loosing their loupe. The 10X23, £8.50 (top right) is quite-OK quality (and physically about twice the size of the 10X12); or we have (at the fairs and on the website, but not in the catalogue) a 10X14, £7.50 which has a very small casing (ie the lens is 14mm diameter but overall the size is tiny). The quality of all three is about the same so go for the physical size you prefer. Each is supplied in a cardboard box.

PAGE 9, BEST QUALITY (click here):
The 10X12 in the middle (the box marked "Best 12mm loupes") has a 4-element lens. Most of the best loupes are 'triplets', they have three lenses cemented on top of each other, to correct for distortion (though you can't see that there are three lenses because they are transparent)...well, this 4-element loupe is even better, it has four lenses, and the improvement in quality shows. If you are looking at gemstones or hallmarks you don't need a large lens, you need a good quality lens that enables you to see instantly, without struggling.

The best 'large' loupe, and the one chosen by most serious traders, is the 10X18, £20.00 (right box labeled "10X18 loupe") - a really good triplet lens, good size, good value.

If you think that 'size is everything' and just have to have the largest, then go for the good quality 10X21 (left box labeled "21mm loupes") at £22.50. It is, considering the size, really quite OK quality, but you will never get 'the best' if it is this large...not unless you want to spend close to £100.00.

All of the above are supplied in leather pouches.

PAGE 9, ZEISS:
There is no question about it: the Zeiss loupes are the best. But at a price. The small version is a 10X13 and costs £69.00 (it measures near enough 12mm but I suppose they've checked and it's really 13mm). The large version is a double lens, it can be split, giving either a 6X or a 4X or (used on top of each other) 10X. Zeiss know they are the best, so they don't feel the need to give you any extras, like a pouch - you just get a thin cardboard box and a bit of polythene.

15X to 30X Magnification

(scroll up for 10X magnifications)
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PAGE 9

I'm not too keen on powerful loupes, I would prefer to go for the very best 10X. Higher magnification does not mean you 'see more' - in most cases the optical quality suffers, the image is not clear, and very powerful loupes (over 20X) are well nigh impossible to focus. The one that I regard as being quite acceptable is the 15X12, £16.50 (middle box labeled "Best 12mm loupes") because it's not too large and not too powerful...and its a good quality lens. The 20X12 £19.50 (same section) is quite OK and is the one to go for if you really must have a 20X. After that (as you go larger in size) it all starts to get a bit silly: 20X21, £27.50 (left box labeled "21mm loupes"): too large, image is a bit wavy around the edges and it's difficult to focus; 30X18 (middle right box, bottom item): everything is wavy and you will be hard-pressed to keep it in focus (I politely describe it as "too fiddly").

For the double loupe, £30.00 have chosen the most popular of the 'best' 10X and the most useable of the 20X, so it has a 10X18 that folds out from one side, and a 20X12 that folds out from the other. If you really cannot decide whether to go for a good 10X or something stronger, this one will certainly give you the 'flexibility'. My guess is that you will end up using the 10X and not the 20X, but at least you will be able to decide for yourself. Incidentally, I have a sample of an identical-looking loupe which cost me £5.00 - the lens marked "10X" is OK but it's not a 10X, it's about 6X, and the lense marked "20X" is a 10X but of such poor quality that the image makes you feel sea-sick, so please don't assume that every loupe that looks like this is the same.

Illuminated Loupes

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PAGE 9

There are two qualities (bottom middle). The top 10X21 has two very powerful LED lights, and it does make a huge difference, being able to see into dark spaces, or if you are working at an early morning market or badly-lit auction or fair. For critical applications such as evaluating the quality of gemstones I would recommend the more expensive version at £22.50, the lens is far better in quality and the circle of lights around the lens that gives a nice 'even' illumination.

WARNING ABOUT TRIPLET LOUPES

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There is a company selling "triplet loupes" who have registered the trade name Triplet and who claim that if you buy a triplet loupe from anyone else you will not be buying the genuine Triplet quality. Now they are correct in that, having registered the name Triplet, it is only they who sell their own-brand (being 'Triplet') - however their loupes are not triplets! - and the optical quality is so poor that the weaker loupes give a fuzzy image and the stronger loupes are so bad they are unuseable.

Now I have no objection to other companies selling loupes, but registering the name Triplet and selling loupes that are not triplets...now that is a 'con'! And then people ask why our triplets are so much more expensive. If you really want 'Triplet' quality (as opposed to the genuinely 'triplet' loupes we sell), buy one of our cheapest loupes for between £2.00 and £4.00.