Add a ring light?

[Trigon]

In the process of ordering a new scope and before I commit to everything being shipped I am wondering if a ring light is a useful accessory I should be including? Gems are my primary observation material and to this point I've only ever had the opportunity to use is a weak overhead light and a light well.

[jfiresto]

You might ask in the Gem Equipment forum at GemologyOnline. They are a friendly and helpful bunch and know their microscopes.

[EYE C U]

For me ring lights produce to many light sources that makes your image turn to mush

[Element 56]

I would have no idea is a ring light is good for gems but they are great for splinters!

[Scarodactyl]

They're a good basic general-purpose illumination and show off gems' sparkle nicely. Not as useful for examining inclusions, you'd really want a dual halogen gooseneck light source for best results.
More posts over at GO would definitely be welcome and there's a healthy backlog of info there as well. Microscope discussions are less active than they used to be though.
I'm curious what configuration you've ended up with--I know you've done your research!

[Trigon]

You might ask in the Gem Equipment forum at GemologyOnline. They are a friendly and helpful bunch and know their microscopes.

for sure, I generally work both sites but gemologyonline has considerably less traffic and 95% of my questions end up responded to by Scarodacyl anyway so I figured I'd try here this time XD

[Trigon]

They're a good basic general-purpose illumination and show off gems' sparkle nicely. Not as useful for examining inclusions, you'd really want a dual halogen gooseneck light source for best results.
More posts over at GO would definitely be welcome and there's a healthy backlog of info there as well. Microscope discussions are less active than they used to be though.
I'm curious what configuration you've ended up with--I know you've done your research!

Despite there being no user reviews to be found for gemological use think at the end of the day I'm going to be trying out the new Leica S9 D (with the documentation port). I'm at the point where I'm deciding on the accessories. your input on adding the cold light source is definitely something I'll be looking to add

[jfiresto]

You might ask in the Gem Equipment forum at GemologyOnline....

for sure, I generally work both sites but gemologyonline has considerably less traffic and 95% of my questions end up responded to by Scarodacyl....

It has been a few years since I followed the forum.

When you write cold light source I think of people accidentally cooking their bugs. Are there any gems that react, compared to typical geologic conditions, to laughably mild heat?

[Trigon]

there are definitely materials that are susceptible to thermal shock but in all honesty, I am not aware of any compromised at the temperature a small bulb like that produces

[Scarodactyl]

I'll look forward to hearing how the S9 does for you!

It's less an issue of absolute temperature as relative temperature (quick shock or having one side warmer than the other). This can already be an issue on some gemological microscopes with an in-base halogen bulb, which can get pretty toasty with long-term usage. I've never heard of someone damaging a stone that way but it seems like a possibility in the worst possible case scenario.
By the way, if you want to try with a simple LED ring light I have a ton of them new in box, you can have one for the price of shipping.

[Trigon]

thats very generous! I ended up taking your advice and adding the halogen gooseneck lights to the base but if I find a use for even more light I'll certainly let you know.