If you are thinking about buying a diamond, one of the most important ways to tell if it’s a real one is to check the certificate. A genuine diamond will always have a certification of authenticity, so you can rest assured that it’s a real stone. This certificate can be obtained at a jeweler’s office or by visiting a jewelry store. If you are not sure about its authenticity, you can also perform a fog test. Just hold the diamond between your fingers and exhale. When the moisture and heat of your breath are present, a light fog will form on the surface of the diamond. A genuine gem will dissipate the fog immediately, while a fake will take longer.
Moreover, you should always check the inclusions of the stone. Most real diamonds contain inclusions, while a flawless diamond is rare and expensive. Therefore, the best way to tell whether a diamond is real is to check the color and the inclusions in the stone. There are many ways to determine whether a diamond is genuine or not. Before you purchase a diamond, it’s best to check the certificate.
How To Tell If A Diamond Is Genuine?
Another way to determine whether a diamond is real is to conduct a water test. Fill a normal-sized glass with water and drop the loose gemstone into the glass. If it sinks, it’s a real diamond, while a fake one floats on the surface. In general, a genuine diamond has a high density, so it will be very difficult to float on water. However, if the diamond doesn’t sink after a while, then it’s not a genuine one.
In addition, it’s important to look at the facets of the diamond. A genuine diamond will be reflective, but a fake one will not. You can see this by looking at the way a diamond is reflected in the water. If the stone’s faceted, it should reflect rainbow colors. The difference between a genuine and fake diamond can be easily determined by its clarity and size. You can even try breathing into the gemstone and see if the reflection is circular. If the stone doesn’t clear, it’s probably a fake.
How To Tell If A Diamond Is Fake?
There are several ways to identify a fake diamond. The first is to use a black light to examine the diamond. It’s vital to make sure you’re buying a real diamond. This way, you can be confident that your engagement ring is authentic. This will prevent any confusion as to what is a genuine diamond. And when you’re satisfied with the result, you’ll be able to enjoy a diamond that you’ve never seen before.
When you drop a loose diamond into a glass of water, a fake diamond will float on top of the liquid. A genuine diamond will not float in water, as it will be much denser. Lastly, the real thing will be very clear. A genuine diamond will be indistinguishable from a fake. You’ll know a real gemstone by its sparkle and the clarity of the facets.
In addition to the above qualities, a diamond’s clarity can be determined by its fluorescence. Despite its name, it’s important to look at the crystals in black light to see if they are real or fake. If a diamond has a blue fluorescence, it’s probably a genuine one. If it doesn’t, it’s a fake. The same applies to color.
What Are The Different Types of Test For Detecting A Genuine/Fake Diamond?
1) Water Test
Use this simple technique to determine whether or not a diamond is genuine. Fill a normal-sized drinking glass with water to 34% capacity. Drop the loose stone into the glass with care. It’s a true diamond if the gemstone sinks. You’ve got a fake on your hands whether it floats beneath or on top of the water. The water test determines whether your stone matches the density of a genuine diamond.
2) Fog Test
Hold the diamond or ring between two fingers and blow on it with a puff of air to perform the fog test. Because of the moisture and heat in your breath, a light fog will form on the diamond. If the fog clears quickly, the diamond is genuine. It’s most likely a fake diamond if the fog takes several seconds to clear. Diamonds are excellent heat conductors and dissipate heat quickly.
3) Check Setting & Mount
Because of the exorbitant cost of a diamond, it will only be put in high-end jewelry. A real diamond, for example, will be set in white gold, platinum, yellow gold, pave or side-stone setting rings, and the halo setting rings.
Look for indications inside the ring’s center to determine if the setting is exactly as described. The notes 10K, 14K, and 18K, for example, show the sort of gold employed. Platinum is denoted by the letters PT and Plat. If you see a number like 585, 770, 900, or 950 on something, that means it’s platinum or gold.
4) Heat the Stone and See if it Shatters
Grab a drinking glass and fill it with cold water to see if a diamond is real. To hold the stone, use plyers or fireproof gloves. Heat the stone for about 40 seconds with a lighter, then drop it into the cold water. If the stone breaks, it is constructed of inferior materials and is not a genuine diamond. A genuine diamond will not react in any way.
The heat test determines the stone’s quality and strength. Weak materials, such as glass or cubic zirconium, will fracture and break due to the rapid expansion and contraction of heat. Consider a cooking dish made of glass or Pyrex.
5) UV Light Test
Place a diamond under UV light and observe the reaction to see if it is real in a different way. The majority of diamonds, but not all, will give off a blue hue. Under UV light, some diamonds do not glow. As a result, if the stone doesn’t light, the results aren’t always indicative of a false diamond.
Because this test isn’t conclusive, it’s advisable to have a diamond expert or jeweler evaluate the stone using their advanced equipment.
Is The Scratch Test Reliable To Ensure A Diamond Is Real?
The scratch test was originally a popular method for determining the hardness of a gemstone’s mineral. The loose gemstone was scraped against a mirror to check if it would scratch the mirror or the stone.
While a diamond is made of extremely hard materials, imitations such as cubic zirconia and moissanite are also extremely durable and scratch-resistant. As a result, the scratch test is ineffective. Other procedures, such as a thermal conductivity test or having the diamond viewed with a professional loupe instrument, are preferable options.
How To Recognize Moissanite?
The synthetic moissanite is maybe the best actor in the fake diamond business. The distinction between the two is frequently difficult to make with the naked eye and necessitates the assistance of a diamond expert.
If the gemstone is moissanite or a true diamond, an electrical conductivity test will determine whether it is moissanite or a true diamond. Because moissanite and diamonds have virtually equal thermal conductivities, the thermal conductivity test is not an effective method for identifying them.
How To Recognize White Sapphire?
Sapphires are usually found in blue and a variety of other colors, including white, which seems to be transparent to the human eye. White sapphires are frequently portrayed as diamonds, although they lack the glitter and contrast of dark and light parts that distinguish diamonds.
It’s more likely to be a white sapphire if the stone’s hue is more blurred—that is, it doesn’t have distinct bright and dark areas.
Conclusion
Many of the experiments in this article, such as the fog test and the thermal conductivity test, can assist in determining whether or not a diamond is genuine. However, because of the variety and intricacy of synthetic gemstone materials, we recommend consulting a diamond specialist or jeweler to evaluate the pieces you already own. These professionals have been taught to recognize a phony diamond.
A genuine diamond is always white. Natural diamonds vary in color from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). As a result, you’ll need to look for a diamond’s white color on the ring’s backside. A real diamond will be brighter and shinier than a fake. Then, it’ll stand out in the crowd. A good way to tell if a diamond is fake is to look at the material that makes up the stone.
