Can I buy from this site?
Not directly. The buy buttons open the listing at our retail partner, and the purchase happens there. This site is our catalog.
Is the price here the price I pay?
It is what the listing was asking when we last checked. Listings move. Trust the listing over this page.
What is the difference between capacity and readability?
Capacity is the most a scale will hold. Readability is the smallest step it will show. They are unrelated, and a large capacity usually means a coarser step, not a finer one.
Will a diamond tester tell me if a stone is real?
It separates diamond from moissanite, white sapphire and cubic zirconia by how the stone moves heat and current. That is a different job from grading a stone or valuing it, and no handheld instrument does the second one.
Can I put anything in an ultrasonic tank?
No, and this is the question that costs people stones. Emerald, opal, pearl, tanzanite and anything fracture filled must stay out. We keep a table of 24 kinds of piece on the soak check page.
Do I need a steamer if I already have a tank?
They do different jobs. A tank shakes film off a whole basket at once. A steamer puts a jet exactly where a brush cannot reach and dries as it goes. Most working benches end up with one of each.
What magnification should I hold?
Ten power is the standard the trade grades by, and a cemented triplet at ten is what most benches use all day. Twenty and thirty are microscope territory, because at that power nothing held in a hand stays still.
Who do I ask about an order?
Our retail partner. They have the order. We do not.