Diamonds – Are They Real or Fake?

Diamonds are costly treasures. The majority of people in the market for one are looking for a good stone that is still a bargain. These days’ shoppers often look to online auctions, estate sales, and online jewelers. For the most part all these options are honest businesses, but we still might worry about the diamond’s authenticity.

In actuality, this question is a good one, especially with the manmade diamonds available today being so strikingly similar to the real thing. In fact, most people cannot tell the difference between a fake and the “Real McCoy.” Some manmade materials used for making “diamonds” include clear crystals, colorless gems, and simple glass. With these types of materials, spotting a fake “diamond” is easy. However, now with new materials such as cubic zirconia and Moissanite, coupled with technology, telling the difference between fake and real becomes far more challenging.

Ideally, you should have any diamond checked out by a legitimate jeweler or certified diamond cutter. It’s hard to do that when you’re buying from an online auction site but it’s worth it to find a way. You could lose a lot of money and be dreadfully disappointed if you learn you bought a fake. There are some things to do if you think you’re being shown a cubic zirconium.

The first test is to breathe on it and see how long the fog from your breath lasts. If it’s gone in an instant, the stone is a diamond, but if it stays for a minute, you know you’re being duped. Next, write on the stone with an ink pen. If it forms a ball, it’s a cubic zirconium. If it’s a diamond, you’ll be able to draw a line. The third test is to turn the stone over and try to read some newsprint. If you can make out the words and they look pretty clear, then you more than likely are holding a fake. Keep in mind though, that some real diamonds are of a shallow cut. In that case you could probably also be able to read the paper through it.

Another test is to check the weight. A cubic zirconia stone will weigh 55% more on average than a real diamond. If you have a similar size and shape diamond or have a gram or carat scale, the stone’s weight can be compared to help you determine – real or fake. Many real diamonds have fluorescence blue when placed under a black light but 99% of the manmade diamonds do not. Therefore, try holding the stone under the black light, looking for a medium to strong appearance of blue. If you see this, then the stone is real. While this will tell you if the diamond is real, keep in mind that the bluer the color, the lower quality the diamond.

One more test is to place the stone under a magnifying glass. Look down on it from the top and make sure the facets are well joined and look sharp rather than rounded. In a real diamond the girdles will look frosted, instead of clear. If the stone is phony, the girdles will be waxy and slippery. There are a lot of ways to check for diamond authenticity, but these are some good little insider tips.

Copyright 2006, Joy McDougle, All Rights Reserved. This article may be published on web sites or in newsletters provided this notice and the resource box is included without ammendment.

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Joy McDougle is passionate about diamonds and runs Raja Diamonds, a web site which focuses on how to buy a great diamond. For more information, go to: www.rajadiamonds.com

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