How to Use a Magnifying Glass?

Learning to use a   hand lens requires a little practice. In general, when people use a magnifying glass for the first time, they make the mistake of moving it away from their eyes. To get a better view of the object you should bring the magnifying glass closer to the eye and place the object in front of it until it has focused. This might be a little difficult to get used to if you have not done it before, but with a little practice, the approach will unconsciously.

Then we have to take into account several clear concepts, increase, visual field and focal distance. The magnifying glasses are labeled with a number, followed by the symbol “X,” which means this? It is the size obtained from the image observed through the magnifying glass.

For example, a magnifying glass that has 2X causes an object to increase twice its actual size. For a 5X it shows an increase of five times the size.

What is the focal distance?

It is the distance between the object and the magnifying glass so that it is focused, also known as the working distance. As the power of the magnifying glass increases, the focal length decreases so that the area to work with the object is smaller.

The field of view is the size of the enlarged area under the magnifying glass that is in focus. The field of vision decreases as power increases. Greater increase the details look bigger, but the total vision of the object is lost. The larger the diameter of the lens. The smaller the increase, the greater the field of view and the focal length. The smaller the lens, the greater the magnification, the smaller the field of view, and the smaller the focal distance.

How to Use a 10 x Hand Magnifier

The simple hand lens is the most valuable tool of a gemologist. You can learn more with it, and much more easily, than with another instrument.

Add to that the simple fact that it is the least valuable piece of equipment (as little as USD 15) and fits easily in a pocket, purse, or briefcase. Once you learn to use it, you will begin to see why it is called: “the Gemologist’s best friend.” Ten-powers of magnification is usable for our purposes. Higher than that, and the depth of the field, (the area that remains in concentration), is so small that it becomes difficult to use.

One of the terms used to describe the magnifying glass is “no.” That means it has three lenses that eliminate distortions around the edge. Other configurations offered in more expensive magnifiers is a lens with a special layer for “color correction.” The colors seen by the magnifying glass are natural and not distorted. Before focusing on anything, consider the light around you. To inspect the surface of the stones, to evaluate the cut and polish, you will want the light to shine on the stone. If you are in a room with a light on, this is simple. If your best source of light is the window, you need to position yourself in the direction of the light coming in over your shoulder. Avoid putting your shadow on the stone.

To see the inclusions in the stone, you need the light behind the stone and light. Frequently you can see both the surface and the interior of the stone with a minimum setting. These two conditions are always easy to achieve with a little imagination. The only limitation has too little light to see well.

To concentrate, take the steady magnifying glass in your hand against the cheek. Keep your eyes open, (this reduces eye strain,) and hold the stone in front of the magnifying glass. Move smoothly forward and out of the magnifying glass until the stone reaches the focus. Then practice adjusting it in focus from above the surface to inside the sides. On a small stone, you can have the whole stone in focus of one. Longer stones require you to concentrate on one area at a time.