I am enquiring as to the best or better magnifying head set for a magnification of 5x or 7x at 9 inches.
What are the better brands
I have spoken to a cutter of professional outfit on the Gemfields who gave cutting away because the single lens visor damaged her eyesight badly, very badly and another woman was developing the same symptoms of vision impairment and underwent eye exercises to correct the developing impairment.
So, use a double lens visor, plus it depends on how close you want to get to the surface of your stone, it may put you off faceting. Any sort of visor at 10x or over is suitable, plus the use of a 10x or 20x loupe will be enough until you get to the microscope stage.
Like most facetors when they first start out I went through the exercise of determining what magnifying devices to use. I settled on an OptiVisor DA-5 Optical Glass Binocular Magnifier as it was recommended by most facetors from whom I sort advice and in general seems to be widely used. It comes standard with a Lens Plate No 5 which is a magnification of about 2.5 and a Focal Length of about 20 cm. Other Lens Plates with higher magnification rating can be purchased. However the higher the magnification the shorter the focal length. Use the Magnifier in conjunction with a good quality (Belomo or Peak) 10x Loupe for faceting. I don't see much point in using a higher magnification Loupe as you will be chasing minute scratches unnecessarily. Good light and appropriate magnification along with practice are important.
10x Triplet is the go, the same as the Belomo. The trick is to keep both eyes open as well.
100% agree with the Optivisor fitted with the number 5 lens and the Belomo 10x loupe. You can also add a good quality adjustable lamp and an office type chair on castors with adjustable height.
Having a chair with adjustable height is a great plus. It allows you to maintain the viewing angle you prefer with the stone regardless of mast height.
Just a note on the Donegan Optivisor - the number on the lens plate has nothing to do with the magnification power. For instance a number ten lens plate has a 31/2 magnification. A plate that had a 10x magnification (like for instance the Belomo loupe) has a focal length of approximately one inch.
John raises a good point. The Owners Manual contains a Table listing the Lens Plate Numbers (2, 3, 4, 5, 7.& 10) the Magnification of each Plate (1.5 to 3.5) and the Focal Lengths (50 to 10 cm). I was visiting my local jeweler on Monday and noted that he is using one.
Yes agree with the Pres on the triplex , BUT if you wish to have a head set lens then you MUST speak to your optometrist you will be shocked what they tell you about how fare the lenses should be from your eyes and what is the best magnification for you with out damaging them
thank you all for your advise it was very useful and Iam seeking a head set as we speak
Hi Hugh,
Totally agree with Administrator Allison regarding seeing your Optometrist first, especially if you already use glasses.
As I found the head set heavy, bulky and sweaty on my forehead, I went to my Optometrist and ordered a pair of reading glasses with 2 diopter lenses, divide the diopter by 2 and add 1 will give an approximate magnification. This gave me 2.0x light weight prescription at the focal length I wanted. I also purchased a 7.0x LaboCLIP from Eschenbach which clips on the glasses, this gives me a 14.0x ' visor suited to my eyes and requirements. This setup is very light and no headaches from eye strain after a few hours. I also use a Belomo 10x triplet loupe at times.
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