French Loupe Magnifier Pendant Necklace from The Met Museum

A gorgeous gold, enamel, and glass loupe (ca. 1780) in The Met collection lends its compelling design to our pendant with 2x magnification. The impressive French instrument in the Museum’s holdings demonstrates the 18th-century interest in optical enhancement; distinctive from eyeglasses and opera glasses, the loupe’s lenses offer different levels of magnification and pivot from a central case. A similar loupe was supposedly carried by the mistress to King Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, who used it to read.