where to look?

can i look at the trichomes on a small leaf next to the bud to determine if my plants ready for harvest

well normally when the buds i think start to look amber color thats when they are ready to harvest and cut to cure

I check the leaves right next to the buds, not the ones with stems the bud leaves themselves. This will show your Trichomes just fine as far as I know.

Take a pair of scissors and cut off one of the small, single leaves that's sticking out of one of the buds. Put it down on a hard surface and look at the trichs using your pocket scope. Easier to see them that way than to try and keep the plant steady while looking.