Whether you are shopping for a new diamond or simply looking to test your jewelry, this guide can help you decipher whether you are admiring a lookalike gem or a real diamond. What’s even better, is being able to do it without making the trip to a professional jeweler.
There are several “fake” variations of the diamond. Most of which, to the untrained eye, can bear a strikingly similar resemblance to the real deal. The most common variations are the cubic zirconia, the colorless sapphire, the colorless topaz and the synthetic moissanite. These can be beautiful additions for trendy jewelry as well. If you are looking for quality fashion jewelry click here for more examples of fashion jewelry combined with quality stones and materials.
And, if you discover that your “diamond” is, in fact, more of a beautiful gem, it is best to seek out the advice of a trained professional. This way, you will be able to identify what stone you have and what you can do with it, i.e. the stone’s value.
Take a look at this handy guide to identifying the sparkling stone you are considering.
1. Use Fog to Test if your Diamond is Real:
Placing the stone in question in front of your mouth, use your breath to fog it up as you would a mirror. Now, pay attention to the length of time that the fog remains. If the fog dissipates rapidly, then you could be in possession of a real diamond. If, however, the fog lingers for a prolonged period then you could be looking at cubic zirconia or other “fake”. This is because condensation does not stay on the surface of a real diamond.
2. Use Water to Test if your Diamond is Real:
Fill a glass with water and drop the diamond inside. A real diamond has a high density and will, therefore, sink to the bottom of the glass. If you see your “diamond” remaining afloat, or even in the middle of the glass, then you have a fake.
3. Use a Magnifying Glass to Test if your Diamond is Real:
Hold a magnifying glass up to the stone. Examining the stone through the magnifier, you can identify any imperfections. Can’t locate any imperfections? Don’t rejoice- this is a sign your stone is “too good to be true”. In other words, it is a fake. A real diamond is imperfect. It will likely have inclusions that can be seen using a magnifying glass.
4. Use a Black Light to test if your Diamond is Real:
This method is a bit more complicated than the others because you will need to have a black light. Once you have one, turn off all the other normal lights and hold your stone up to the black light. Is it glowing blue with fluorescence? Then you have a real diamond. Do you see a more greenish, grey or yellow light? Then you are holding a gem that simply appears to look like a diamond. However, this test is not conclusive- some real diamonds do not show up as blue under the black light so use more tests to reach your conclusion.
5. Use a Loupe to Test if your Diamond is Real:
Again, this is a more complicated test because you will need a loupe- a magnification device that jewelers use. The loupe’s lens frame differs from a magnifying glass because it is more conical in shape. The loupe also lacks an attached handle as common magnifying glasses have. These devices can be easily bought online. Using the loupe, examine your diamond for imperfections, slight variation in color and mineral flecks. These are all common signs of a real diamond.
Remember, these are simple at-home tricks to discover if you are dealing with the real deal. However, it is advised that you use all five methods to arrive at a conclusion. And then, just to be one hundred percent certain, you can also take the stone to a certified professional.
