I've been having more and more trouble with gem setting as I get older -- just being able to SEE the fine details for a bead/bright cut setting is problematic, much less checking slight cuts on a thin gauge prong setting. I tried a variety of options for magnification, but nothing quite fit the bill. I'd long ogled the industry standard microscope (after which this was clearly copied), but at roughly 10x the price, I simply couldn't justify it in today's market.Having used both, this is not QUITE as sturdy as the industry standard. It lacks some features of the new one (including a slightly better focusing mechanism and a slightly better range of motion). But this is a spot on copy of the old version, and works just as well.I was more than a little pleased by this addition to the bench, as it's saved my eyes a hundred times over, as well as letting me do things that were becoming more and more impossible with my eyesight. If you're on the fence about this, don't be. Best purchase I've made in years.
Wim van der 
