Enhanced Precision with the Professional Jeweler's Darkfield Loupe: Illuminated Dark Field Hastings Loupe Magnifier Review

The product was cheap for such a valuable tool. It arrived on time, well packaged and on time. Learning how to use it now cannot yet speak of accuracy or usefulness. The promised pouch was not included and that was the difficulty I faced in choosing 4-5 stars but this is a real Maguire so see the review.

I use this to study raw gemstones. There is nothing better, especially off-road. This one comes with an LED flashlight which is great for this purpose. I wouldn't say it's "elegant," but it's perfect for seeing the interior of gemstones, especially after a refractor dip. Once you understand dark field illumination, you will understand why it works well. Pays for itself in just a few uses.

Light is the main reason I only give it 4 stars. LED light is sufficient in many cases, but it is rather weak in the red part of the visible spectrum and a magnifying glass is not suitable for an ordinary Maglite as a light source. Visually, this may not pose a problem for you, but light cannot be used effectively as an illumination source for the color filters used to identify specific gems, which you may also want to examine with a darkfield loupe. The instrument has a 1 cm hole for the…