Fiber Optic Halogen Illuminator

Intense pinpoint white light for inclusions, fractures, and treatment clues

Typical price$ 150 - 900

PortabilityLow portability

Field noteCounter or lab instrument with flexible light guide

How to use it

Place the stone under a microscope or hold it securely with tweezers
Bring the fiber optic tip close to the side of the stone without touching it
Use low intensity first, then increase brightness until inclusions become visible
Sweep the light around the stone to reveal silk, needles, feathers, color zoning, and filled fractures
Switch between side lighting, transmitted lighting, and reflected lighting
Let the lamp cool between long sessions and keep heat-sensitive stones away from the light source

Reading tips

Halogen gives a strong continuous warm-white beam and is excellent for Chelsea filter work and inclusion study
The pinpoint beam reveals features that broad overhead lighting hides
Oil or resin in emerald can flash when the fiber optic light hits a surface-reaching fracture
Lead-glass-filled ruby often shows colored flash effects and trapped bubbles under strong side lighting
Rutile silk in ruby and sapphire shimmers when the fiber optic is moved across the stone
Opal, pearls, amber, turquoise, and some treated stones can be heat sensitive; keep the tip back and use short sessions