Grading Tools to Buy a Loose Diamond
A diamond is an investment. When shopping in-store, always use your eyes and your brain. Here we give you the common tools to help you get the best diamond for your time, money and effort.
Jewelers' Loupe:
When shopping in-store, ALWAYS ask for a 10x jewelers' loupe. 
A quality loupe is a must have when shopping for (or caring for) diamonds.
A loupe is a magnifier tool used by professionals to inspect and grade diamonds, gemstones and other jewelery. Loupes come in different magnification strengths and allow our eyes to focus on an object at a much closer distance than is normally possible, making an object appear larger and revealing tiny details that are otherwise invisible to the unaided (naked) eye.
With loupe in hand, don't hesitate to ask your jeweler to point out important characteristics. Don't pretend to be an expert - to become proficient in the use of a loupe, you'll need the help and cooperation of your jeweler. Jewelers can spot a fake "expert" just as quickly as they can detect a fake gemstone.
While loupes come in different magnification powers, 10x is the industry standard. Anything below 10x is unacceptable as does not provide you the real opportunity to view the internal characteristics of your diamond.
A jewelers' loupe is a fundamental tool that you'll need in your search and asking for one will often distinguish you in the eyes of your jeweler as a proficient customer and hopefully lead to better prices being offered.
Locking Diamond Tweezers:
Diamond Grippers
