Identification of authenticity of diamonds is the work for experts. If you don’t own specialized equipment and gemmological knowledge, it is better not to risk. Today, with all the technological advances, it is almost impossible to tell a fake diamond just from looking at it. And there are really good diamond imitations on the market nowadays. Among them are cubic zirconium, synthetic spinel and quartz, leaded crystal, etc.
However, there are some points that one should pay attention to when buying a diamond or diamond jewellery. These are sort of extra precautions, and not fundamental indicators that you should blindly rely upon.
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First, try placing a diamond over printed text. Diamonds refract so much light that they won’t work as magnifying glass and you wouldn’t see any lines or letters through them, while other clear stones like glass or crystal will reveal the print clearly.
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There shouldn’t be any scratches on a real diamond, as hardness index of a diamond is much higher than of other precious stones.
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Diamonds are also very good at conducting heat. Breathe on the surface of the stone and immediately check to see if it has fogged up. Quartz, glass and cubic zirconium will stay hazy for a moment before the condensation dissipates, but you shouldn’t be able to see any moisture on a true diamond. However there is one stone called moissanite that will also pass this test.
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There are also special testers that could help you out. They are based on ultraviolet and electricity conductivity – “Charles and Colvard”, “Moissketeer 2000SD”, “Pocket-Mate”, “Ceres Secure”, etc. Again, moissanite will pass these testers too.
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You can tell moissanite from diamond if you place the stone into liquid with weight higher than 3,17 (this is actually the unit weight of moissanite). Moissanite, being lighter would rise to the surface while diamond would sink.
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Also, moissanite would become green if you hold it over fire for a few minutes.
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If you place a badly made fake diamond into water you won’t be able to see it clearly or it will disappear altogether while the real diamond would sparkle. Common belief that diamond would disappear when thrown into water is simply not true. Even stones with high clarity and light indexes are visible in water; say nothing about diamonds of average characteristics.
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A real diamond would usually be mounted in an open back setting, thus you could see around the rear of the gem. Moissanite, as a rule, is mounted in a closed back setting to reduce bright patches of light as a result of high dispersion. Diamond’s dispersion is much lower.
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Also, fake diamonds don’t have any natural inclusions that are common for real diamonds. Get a magnifying glass and have a close look at your stone.
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And the most important rule – buy your diamond or diamond jewellery from a reputable jeweller and always ask for a authenticity certificate.
At Voltaire we offer our customers only diamonds are ethically sourced, GIA or HRD certified and sourced directly from reputable, well-established European Diamond Centers.
