As Marilyn Monroe famously sang, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”
While this is true, it’s important to know whether you’ve got a legit stone sparkling on your finger. There are many ways to test a diamond so you don’t spend a fortune on a fake.
Not sure how to tell if a diamond is real? Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know.
How to Tell Whether a Mounted Diamond Is Real
It’s important to note there are different tests for mounted and loose diamonds. If you’re wondering “is the diamond real or fake?”, consider the following tests.
For instance:
Setting
A fantastic way how to tell genuine diamonds from fakes is to check the diamond’s setting and the mount used. Diamonds are an expensive purchase so they’ll be mounted in high-quality jewelry like platinum or white gold.
Check the inside of the ring for markings. Look out for 10K, 14K, and 18K that reveals which type of gold has been used. If it’s platinum, the marking will be PT or Plat. Plus, see whether numbers like 770, 900, and 950, are listed as they prove the setting is platinum or gold too.
But if there’s a “C.Z.” stamp then it proves the center stone is cubic zirconia, a lab-grown fake diamond.
Fog
“How can you tell if a diamond is real?” You ask.
Do the fog test. To do this, take your stone between two fingers and breathe on it so a light fog forms. If it stays fogged for a few seconds then it’s likely a fake as a genuine diamond would disperse the heat from your breath instantly.
It helps if you have a genuine diamond so you can do the fog test on both at the same time and see how quickly the fog disappears on legitimate diamonds. Further, artificial diamonds would fog up more with each puff while the real one stays clear.
Test With a Jeweler’s Loupe
A loupe is a small magnification device that jewelers use to evaluate a diamond’s finer details. Borrow one from a jewelry store, look through it, and hunt down inflections, tiny natural imperfections, that mined diamonds usually have.
These may be small flecks of minerals or slight color changes. But, a real diamond may be entirely flawless so if you can’t find any imperfections, carry out other tests.
If you’re interested in gems but don’t want mined ones, here you can know more about ethical diamonds.
How to Tell Whether an Unmounted Diamond Is Real
It’s important to learn how to test a diamond so you’re assured it’s legitimate especially if it’s a gift. Once you learn how to spot fake diamonds, you will enjoy browsing the jewelry more.
For instance:
Test Using Refractivity
Diamonds sparkle because they bend and refract light that passes through them, known as brilliance. It’s difficult to replicate this because it’s an inherent property of the stone so consider the diamond’s refractivity to see whether it’s real.
You can do this using the newspaper method. First, turn the diamond upside down and place it atop a newspaper. If you can read the print or see black smudges, it’s probably fake. This is because a real diamond would bend the light so sharply that you wouldn’t see the text.
Or try the dot test. Draw a small dot with a pen on a piece of paper and place the stone over the spot’s center. Look directly down on it through the pointed end of the diamond. If you notice a circular reflection in the stone, then it’s artificial as real diamonds have powerful refractive qualities.
Observe Reflections
You should also use the dot test to check for reflections. Look through the top of the diamond and if you see a rainbow-colored light, it’s either a low-quality diamond or a fake. This is because a genuine diamond’s reflection should show up in different shades of gray.
Drop the Stone in Water
Grab a glass, fill it 3/4 of the way with water, and drop the loose stone into the glass. If the gemstone sinks, it’s a real diamond because it has a high density. But if the gemstone floats to the top or middle, then it’s fake.
Heat the Stone
Real diamonds are incredibly durable, they’re even known to cut glass. Their strength also means they’ll be unresponsive to high heat.
To test this, fill a drinking glass with cold water. Grab a set of plyers to hold the stone and heat it with a lighter for 40-seconds then drop the diamond into the water. If the stone shatters, it’s fake as a real one wouldn’t react.
Test Its Sparkle
Another way to check the diamond’s brilliance is by holding it under a regular lamp. Examine how the light reflects off of the stone. Are there bright shimmers of white lights? Any colorful light reflections too?
A real diamond provides an extraordinary sparkle and may reflect colored light, known as ‘fire’. If you compare this with artificial stone, then you’ll see a drastic difference between the light produced by each one.
That’s How to Tell If a Diamond Is Real
Now you know how to tell if a diamond is real.
Those with mounted diamonds should check the setting, do the fog test, and examine the stone with a loupe. There are more ways to test loose diamonds such as dropping it in a glass of water, heating it, and observing its reflections.
Regardless of what you find, it’s wise to ask a jeweler to double-check your findings to ensure you’re correct. Good luck!
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