FAKE OR REAL DIAMOND, HOW DO YOU TELL?

Is this diamond Fake or real? One of the most common challenge that every woman or lover of jewelry will face is how to tell the difference between a real diamond and a fake stone. Every young man proposing and desiring a diamond ring would not want to be duped of their hard-earned money for some cheap stone. Diamonds are not CHEAP! We will be discussing some easy ways to know if the diamonds you are buying is real or not especially when you are buying from a private seller.

1)  A trusted local jewelry store will tell if its a fake or real diamond

Glitzamarians, this is the surest way to validate the authenticity of a diamond. If you are looking to buy a diamond from a private party, you can easily arrange a meeting at a local jewelry store where you can have one of the staff members examine the stone free of charge. This method will also save you time as fraudulent diamond sellers, or con-men as I like to call them, will not meet you if they know their diamond is fake.

One warning I should mention, however, is that If you use this method, do your best to not mention the price you are paying for the stone so that you don’t lose the deal. The jewelry store dealer can hear the price and if the diamonds are real, outbid you to the seller.

Also, I recommend that you, yourself choose which jeweler to go to. I may be overly paranoid, but I would hate for there to be some sort of inside job where the jeweler is in on the scam. I recommend going to a more high-end establishment as they will be less busy, and in my experience, very willing to help.

2. Use a Thermal Conductivity Probe (aka “The Diamond Tester”) to test if its a Fake or real Diamond

This simple (and cheap) device will give you instant peace of mind when wondering whether a diamond is real or fake. This tool is used by gemologists to determine the thermal conductivity of gemstones. Diamonds naturally disperse heat rapidly when warmed (unlike fake diamonds) and the thermal conductivity probe will validate this instantly. If the stone you are testing disperses heat quickly, the stone is a real diamond (the light will turn green). If the stone disperses heat at a slow rate, the stone is not a diamond (the light will stay red).

These devices are quite common as they are very affordable and accurate. Check for one online at your favorite retail store. Bring it with you while you are searching for your diamond as it is quite small and portable. This is an especially good tool if you are unable to meet at a local jewelry store or have a jeweler validate a diamond’s authenticity. However, do note that most synthetic moissanite stones usually have similar or identical ways it disperses heat as real diamonds. Thus, this test is inconclusive with moissanite.

3)  Use a Loupe

A Loupe is a tool used by jewelers across the world. It is basically a powerful magnifying glass that will allow you to see a diamond at 10 to 60 times magnification. A Loupe will show you a diamond you’ve never seen before. If the diamond is genuine you will be able to see small inclusions within the diamond or a code. Not all diamonds have these features, but the majority do.

Unless you are dealing with a perfect IF (internally flawless) clarity diamond, which is unlikely as there are very few and they are extremely expensive, you will see small imperfections in the diamond created by substances trapped in the diamond while it was formed. Second, observe the diamond’s edges. “When you’re taking a look at a diamond through a loupe, a real stone is going to have sharp edges, and a fake stone will have rounded edges.

 

 4)  The Fire will test if its a real or fake diamond

This test is for someone who is very serious about validating a diamond and not afraid of losing the stone if it is fake. For this test, you will need a lighter, some tongs or pliers, and a cold glass of water. Hold the diamond with the tongs and place the diamond in the flame for 30 or 40 seconds. Don’t worry, if the diamond you are testing is real it will be completely unharmed.

After you’ve held the diamond in the flame for the allotted time, drop the diamond into the cold glass of water. If the diamond is fake it will at least crack, if not shatter completely. This will happen due to the weaker (fake) material not being able to handle the rate at which its molecules expand and contract from the extreme temperature change. Diamonds are formed through immense heat and extreme pressure, so this rudimentary test will have absolutely no effect on a real diamond.

 5)  The Fog Test

The fog test is a simple indicator of whether a diamond is real or fake. For this test, take a loose diamond or a ring’s center stone and breath on it. This will fog up the diamond-like you would a window in your car. If the fog disappears quickly the diamond is real. If the fog remains from 3 – 4 seconds before dissipating, the diamond is fake. This is due to a diamond’s ability to conduct heat much more efficiently than fake diamonds.

One thing to be sure of before using this indicator is to clean the diamond thoroughly. If the diamond is not clean, the dirt and oils that build up on the diamond could make the fog last longer than it would otherwise. This could make a real diamond seem fake. Simply washing a diamond or ring with soap and lightly scrubbing the scum away should make a diamond clean enough to perform an accurate assessment.

6)  The Transparency Test

The transparency test is another good indicator of whether a diamond is legitimate. For this test, you will need a newspaper, or any other type of white paper with words, and a well-lit space. Place the diamond upside-down over a letter on a page and look through its pavilion. If you are able to read the letter through the pavilion of the diamond, there is a high chance your diamond is fake. The letter should appear blurry and fragmented if the diamond is real. This is due to the highly reflective facets on the diamond that should cause the reflection to be disjointed.

For this test, you should also be sure to clean the stone beforehand. An unclean stone can alter the results of the test and could make a fake diamond appear genuine. Like the fog test, this test is also an indicator. I would do further investigation to be sure a diamond is real.

7  The Floating test will tell if its a fake or real diamond

This is another simple test to indicate whether a diamond is real but will only work if you are dealing with a loose diamond. For the floating test, you will only need the diamond and a glass of water. Diamonds have a very high density and because of this they will sink in water very quickly.

When you place the stone you are testing in a glass of water and it sinks to the bottom quickly, you know that the stone could be a diamond. If the stone floats or sinks very slowly, the stone is definitely not a diamond. From this point, you can do further testing to completely verify the diamond’s legitimacy.

8)  Examine the Setting & Mount

As you all know, diamonds are extremely valuable stones. Therefore, diamonds are set in precious metal setting that is marked for authenticity. This test is another great indicator on the legitimacy of a diamond. While examining a real diamond setting and mount, no matter the style, you will most likely be looking at yellow gold, white gold, or platinum. These types of metal will be marked with letters and numbers indicating which kind and of what grade you have. For an example, gold will be marked with 10K, 14K, or 18K indicating the grade of gold used for the setting.

Platinum will be marked with the letters PT, PLAT or the numbers 585, 770, 900, and 950. These markings tell you the diamond is real. When you look and see the letters CZ on the setting or mount, the stone is cubic zirconia, which is a fake diamond. Then when you do not see any markings, you should be cautious and bring the ring to a jeweler for further examination.

9)  The Sparkle test will also show if its a fake or real diamond

You also can observe the sparkling ability of your stone with a practical aim — to double-check this diamond is real. Pay close attention to the way your gem reflects the light. It’s common for a diamond to demonstrate grayish and white sparkling from inside and scatter it in rainbow colors around. In its turn, fake stones tend to intensify rainbow-colored reflection, with no gray and white presence in its spectrum.

Also, you can rely on the refractive index in sparkling. To validate your conclusions, place your jewel over a newspaper and observe its reaction. A real diamond will disperse the light inside and won’t allow black reflection to appear. On the contrary, diamond alternatives will pass this blackness through — and sometimes, you’ll be even able to read the words through the stone!

This situation is simply impossible for a real diamond.

10) The Dot Test

Just in case you don’t have a newspaper, you can still check your stone with a piece of paper. For that, draw a dot there. Then, place the jewel from the flat side down on this dot.

looking through the pointed side of a real diamond, you shouldn’t see anything! But if you witness reflection or even see the dot crystal clear, there’s no doubt — your stone is fake.

11) The Black Light test can tell a Fake or real diamond

If an opportunity to use a black light to check if a diamond is real, don’t miss it!

To conduct the test, turn off all the lights and put your stone under the source of black light. If you’re holding a genuine diamond, you’ll witness an intense blue color on the diamond surface. A fake gemstone will reveal itself through other colors — including green, yellow, or gray tints. This test is an indicator because not all the real diamonds will react to the black light with blue fluorescence.

In conclusion, from simple home tests to advanced full-proof methods, you can decide how you want to go about it. I suggest you pick out about three of these tests, if you’re doing it on your own, or take your rock down to certified jewelry. So, get up now, and put your diamond to the test! You can learn more  information here too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXnTA_1eJwM