It is finally July. Or is it August? No, it’s already October, and November isn’t far away. Time has felt quite irregular since COVID-19 has become the new normal, but the crisp smell of changing leaves in the air is telling us that autumn is here whether we’re paying attention or not. One thing that has felt quite normal is our dedication to holidays, even if we’re not celebrating them in the same way we used to.
The winter holidays are just around the corner, too, and for many of us that means it is gift giving season. And after several agonizing months of 2020, we could all use a nice gift. What still remains to be a popular gift for this holiday season is jewelry, and the winter wedding season is ramping up as well, which means both newlyweds and those celebrating their anniversaries might be doing so with a special something from their local jeweler.
Jewelry is a great gift because each piece is a work of art and superior craftsmanship, and part of making each gift perfect is the tools used behind the scenes. Here are a few microscopes that really shine when it comes to jewelry and engraving, and a few products that will help make your holiday and wedding season extra special.
Leica M50, M60 & M80
The M50, M60, and M80 are perfect microscopes for jewelry. They allow operators to see a large sample overview, work comfortably under the microscope, and capture images of important details easily. Attention to detail is key for jewelers as even one slip can be a costly mistake. What’s also great about these products is that they are built for not only precision, but also comfort. For repeated examination, measurement, drawing or photography of objects under absolutely identical conditions and on exactly the same scales, the Leica M50 stereo microscope has a magnification range of 6.3× – 40× and precisely reproducible steps. You can set the five easily selectable positions without taking your eyes away from the eyepieces, an effortless way to ensure comparable results. With its 8:1 zoom and switchable ratchet steps, the Leica M80 stereomicroscope covers a wide range of routine applications. The long working distance and the brilliant imaging performance enable you to view the finest details of your specimens without losing the overview of large workpieces.
Leica EZ4W & EZ4E
Two other examples of great microscopes for jewelry are the EZ4W and the EZ4E are normally used in the classroom, but they’re also perfect for engraving and communicating results to clients. These models allow you to discover details in natural colors with up to 5.0 MP capture resolution, and the integrated Wi-Fi camera is fast and provides excellent documentation results. This means that even when working on custom pieces for clients remotely, your work can be digitally documented with fantastic quality and shared with anyone around the world in minutes. And there are no hardware concerns either: PC or Mac users can use the Leica Imaging software to connect to the camera and work with the images. Use Leica Application Suite software for PC and use Leica Acquire for Mac.
Leica EZ4 Stereomicroscope
If you’re looking for something more affordable yet still high quality, the EZ4 is an excellent choice. The Leica EZ4 has 4.4:1 zoom and provides over 20 years of bright LED illumination, which saves time and cost of replacement bulbs. Better yet, the Greenough optical systems provide very flat and large depth of field 3D views — perfect for jewelry and engraving. This model is the perfect combination of excellent quality and multiple use cases.
In our own way, Nuhsbaum is fortunate enough to be part of special memories for countless people. Of course, you could make your holiday season or anniversary even more special by gifting a microscope directly, although we’ll admit receiving a microscope for your anniversary is appreciated by a rather niche audience… Either way, the world of microscopy is all around us, even if the world isn’t quite back to normal yet.
