David Bernstein's Pre-Columbian Art 4 Sale

Tools & Trade

Microscopes

Stereoscopic microscopes are ideal for looking at works of Pre-Columbian art. These microscopes have a zoom magnification range of 10X to 40X, and are easy to set up, adjust and use. Since these microscopes are stereoscopic, like binoculars, they show objects in three-dimensional view.

Unscrupulous individuals who deal in art sometimes change the surfaces of objects, such as adding new dirt in cracks or red paint to highlight incised designs on ceramics and stone works. Complete forgeries often have mechanical tool marks. Feather and textile cloths often have repairs, and one needs to assess how much repair has been added.

At magnifications between 10X to 20X, you can see that new dirt or red paint don’t go all the way down into cracks and incisions on stone and pottery, and you can see mechanical tools marks on stone. You can also see new threads and obvious repairs to feather and woven fabrics.

The best stereoscopic microscopes are sold as parts, allowing the purchaser to choose among different lenses and equipment options. The illustrations here show a stereomicroscope is constructed. You can also attach a digital camera to one of the eyepieces and photograph what you see or even view the image on a monitor.
The boom is the standing base onto which the pod is placed. Then, the pod is inserted into the block with eyepieces that come with 10X or 20x lenses. The pod itself has a magnification range of 1X to 4X, controlled by a knob on the pod. With eyepieces of 10X, for example, the microscope has a possible visual capacity of 40X (10X eyepiece x 4X in the pod).

At the bottom of the pod, there is room for an optional objective lens, if desired. Objective lenses are available in 0.5X, a.5X and 2X. These lenses are used when the object is large and has to be viewed some distance from the eyepieces.

Lastly, every object needs an exterior fiber optic light source, such as a single ring light or a double- headed lights. In both cases, the fiber optic cables are flexible so that the lights can be moved over the object. Serious collectors need to know how to use stereo zoom microscopes.