How to Identify Real Diamonds

Look at the refraction of the stone. Diamonds bend, refracting light very strongly, creating brilliant sparkles. Other stones such as glass or quartz do not sparkle as well because of their lower refractive power. Brightness is an inherent property of the stone, which is difficult to change no matter how skillfully you cut. By closely observing the refraction, you can determine whether the stone is real or not. Here are some observations:

• Newspaper word test: Place the stone face down on a piece of newspaper. If you can read text through the stone, or even just see black smudges, it’s not a diamond. A diamond bends light so strongly that you can’t see anything. (There are exceptions, however: in real diamonds, if the cut is not symmetrical, it can still be seen through.)
• Dot test: Draw a small dot on a piece of white paper and place the stone in the center of the dot and observe. If you see a circle reflected in the stone, it is not a diamond. You won’t be able to see that dot through a real diamond.

Observe the reflection. A real diamond often has individual shades of gray. Look straight down from the top of the diamond. If you see rainbow reflections, it is most likely a poor quality or fake diamond. ^[1]

• Plus check out the sparkle. Real diamonds will sparkle much more brilliantly than glass or quartz of the same size. You may want to bring a piece of glass or quartz with you for reference.
• Don’t confuse sparkle with reflection. Sparkle is about luminosity or how much light is refracted by the facet of the stone. Reflection is about the color of light that the stone refracts. So look for “bright” light, not colorful light.
• There is one stone that sparkles more than a diamond: moisanite, or diamond moissanite. This gemstone resembles a diamond so much that it takes experts a long time to distinguish. To sort without special tools, hold the stone close to your eyes. Shine the fountain pen’s flashlight through the stone. If you see a rainbow glow, it’s a sign of double reflection. This is a property of moissanite that diamonds do not have.

Drop the ice cube into a glass of water and see if it sinks to the bottom of the glass. Thanks to the dense structural density, real diamonds will sink. The rhinestones will float on the water or float in the middle of the glass.

Heat the stone and consider durability. Heat the ice cube you suspect with the lighter for 30 seconds, then immediately drop the ice cube into a glass of cold water. Molecules that expand and contract too quickly will overwhelm the tenacity of weak materials like glass or quartz, causing it to burst from the inside. Real diamonds are very hard so you can rest assured that nothing will happen.

Request a test with the thermocouple. The tight, uniform monolithic crystal of diamonds helps them dissipate heat very quickly; Therefore, real diamonds are not easily heated. Testing with a thermal probe takes about 30 seconds and is usually free. The advantage of this method is that it does not damage the stone.

• Thermal testing works on the same principle as the “break the rock” yourself above. Instead of having to manually measure whether the stone would break under the pressure of rapid expansion, the probe actively measures how long the diamond retains heat.
• If you want to have your diamond inspected in a more professional way, find a local jeweler.

Requires diamond/moissanite tester combo test. Many gem shops have special machines that can quickly detect real and fake diamonds. ^[2]

• A traditional heat test does not tell the difference between moissanite and diamond. Make sure that the tests are conducted using a “thermal conductivity” meter, not a “temperature” meter.
• If you are testing diamonds in bulk at home, you may want to consider purchasing a variety of gem testing machines that are sold online or at specialty diamond stores.

Get a microscope. Place the stone under the microscope, turning the top side of the diamond down. Gently rock the diamond back and forth with tweezers. If you see a slight orange glow along the edges, it could be zirconium (aka CZ, diamond). There are also cases where real diamonds are imperfect and those defects have been filled with zirconium.

• To get the best view of the diamond, use an electron microscope at 1200x magnification.

Diamonds are highly sensitive to weight. Diamonds can be easily distinguished by the difference in weight, zirconium is about 55% heavier than diamonds of the same shape and size. ^[3] To make this comparison you need a specialized scale that is extremely sensitive to carats or grains.

• To do this test properly you need a real diamond with the exact same shape and size as the stone of interest. If there’s nothing to compare, you’ll have a hard time identifying.

Examine the diamond under ultraviolet (UV) light. Under UV or black light, most (but not all) diamonds fluoresce blue. If your stone is emitting a blue light, it is the real thing. However, the “absence” of the blue light does not prove that the stone is fake; Some diamonds do not fluoresce under UV light. ^[4] A slight green, yellow or gray light can indicate that the stone is moissanite. ^[5]

• While the UV test can help narrow down your choices among possibilities, it’s best to avoid relying on test results to confirm with certainty that the diamond is genuine. fake. As we said above, some diamonds fluoresce under UV light, some don’t. The rhinestones are also mixed in such a way that they shine brightly under ultraviolet light. So nothing is certain. ^[6]

Do an experiment with X-rays. Diamonds have a “radiation” molecular structure, which prevents them from showing up on x-rays. Glass, zirconium, and crystal all show up on X-rays because they have a slight “non-radiative” property.

• If you want to have your diamond X-rayed, you’ll need to take it to a professional diamond testing lab, or negotiate with your local radiology center.

Get to know synthetic diamonds. Lab or synthetic diamonds are “real” but not “natural”. Synthetic diamonds cost a fraction of that of natural diamonds, but the two are (usually) chemically equivalent. Distinguishing the difference between natural and synthetic diamonds requires a professional process using sophisticated equipment and modern techniques based on: detection of higher (nearly perfect) uniformity of diamond. The structure that lab-made gems typically have and the distinctive trace amounts and uniform distribution of specific non-carbon elements in the diamond crystal. Synthetic diamonds have a lower selling price than mined diamonds because successful PR campaigns by the natural diamond industry make people feel that mined diamonds are worth more than synthetic diamonds because because “natural” is rarer than “man-made”. If you are interested in buying or selling gems or insuring your diamond, it is important to know if it is of “natural” or “artificial” origin.

Get to know moissanite. It’s hard to tell the difference between diamond and moissanite. Although it is easy to get confused, moissanite has twice the refractive property of passing light, which makes it more sparkling than diamond, which must be observed closely to see. Place a real diamond next to the stone of interest, shine light through both, if you see more colors and a larger band of light emanating from the other then it is moissanite. ^[7]

• Diamond and moissanite have very similar thermal conductivity. If you only use a diamond tester, it will give a “diamond” result while your stone is moissanite. The best option for professional jewelers is to combine both the diamond tester and the moissanite for the best results.

Identify jade. White jade is another stone that looks a bit like a diamond, which could be confusing if you are not in the industry. However, white jade is finer than diamond. A mineral’s hardness can be determined by its ability to scratch or cause other material to be scratched. Diamond is one of the hardest minerals on earth, a stone that easily scratches another stone without harming itself. Look at the surface of the stone you have, if it appears “scratches”, it could be white jade or a stone with a low hardness.

Identify white jade. Many people still mistakenly believe that because of the name “jade”, its characteristic is blue. In fact, jade comes in many colors. White sapphires, or rather transparent, are often used in place of diamonds. However, this stone is not sharp, does not reflect sparkles between light and dark areas like real diamonds. If you find your stone looks dim or “gloomy”, that means its light-dark reflectivity is low, and it could be a white jade. ^[8]

Identify zirconium stones (commonly known as diamonds). Zirconium is a synthetic stone that closely resembles a diamond. The easiest way to recognize a diamond is to look at the color it reflects. Diamonds often reflect orange light. Zirconium stones are “transparent”, while natural diamonds often have tiny mineral grains and some imperfections.

• When light is focused on, zirconium will radiate a colorful spectrum, while real diamonds sparkle and reflect colorless light. ^[9]
• Another popular way to test diamonds is by rubbing the stone and glass together. Many people believe that if a stone scratches glass without any damage, it is a diamond. However, high-quality zirconia “also” can scratch glass, so this test is not accurate. ^[10]

Look for a reputable diamond appraiser in your area. Most diamond retailers hire their own gemologists and appraisers, but most consumers feel more confident asking for an appraisal from a third party – an independent gemologist who specializes in gemmology. on diamond appraisal. If you’re investing in gems, or are curious about your diamond, you’ll want it to be evaluated objectively and accurately.

• Gemstone evaluation has two basic steps: first identifying and evaluating the stone in question, then assigning a value. When looking at an independent appraiser, it would be ideal to choose according to the following criteria: have a university degree, graduate from the National Gemological Institute, and have a degree awarded by a non-participating Director directly into the diamond trade. ^[11] This way you can be assured that the appraiser is qualified.
• When giving someone a diamond appraisal, make sure that person is trustworthy. However, you should ask the jeweler to inspect the diamond right in front of you instead of taking it elsewhere.

Ask the right questions. In addition to finding out if the diamond is real or fake, the appraiser will help you troubleshoot by answering questions about the quality of the stone. This is especially important if you purchased or inherited a gem. The gemologist will tell you:

• whether the stone is natural or man-made (Note: a synthetic diamond is still a diamond, just not “natural.” See the section on testing synthetic diamonds for details).
• Has the stone changed color?
• whether the stone has received long-term or temporary heat treatment.
• how the stone matches the rating document provided by the retailer.

Request an appraisal certificate. Whatever testing method you choose, the best and most reliable way to prove a diamond is real is to check the paperwork and talk to a gemologist or appraiser. Certification and grading ensure that your stone has been truly “proven” by professionals. Proof is especially important if you’re looking to buy an ornamental stone you see, like online. Ask to see the certificate.

• The best way to appraise a diamond is to ask an organization like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). If they have a branch where you live, you can either bring the diamonds to them in person, or have the jeweler remove the diamond and send it to GIA.

Review your paperwork carefully – not all certificates are created equal. Certificates should be issued by a classification authority (e.g. GIA, AGSL, LGP, PGGL in the US) ^[12] or an independent examiner who is affiliated with a professional body (such as Association of American Surveyors), not with any retail store.

• The certificate includes a lot of information about your diamond, such as carat weight, measurement, scale, level of transparency, degree of color, cut.
• Certificates may contain information that you do not expect. Such as:
  • Fluorescence , or the ability of a diamond to give off a faint light when exposed to ultraviolet light. ^[13]
  • Gloss , or smoothness of the surface.
  • Symmetry , or the extent to which opposing aspects mirror each other perfectly.