Spotting A Fake Diamond
When you are planning to buy diamonds, the idea is to keep them forever. Therefore, you would obviously want to go for the real one and not be cheated. However, you have enough reasons to exercise caution, as a number of retailers of late are selling imitation stones in the name of diamond. The common substitutes for diamond include Cubic Zircon, crystals, Moissanite and several lab-made diamonds. These stones are also beautiful by their own rights, but they are much cheaper in terms of value when compared to real diamond. There are certain things you need to consider to spot a fake diamond from the real precious gem.
Always ask for certificate
By asking for a certificate from a diamond grading agency, you can be certain that you are going for the real diamond. In the US, organizations such as the American Society of Appraisers, Gemological Institute of America (GIA), American Gem Society laboratories (AGSL), etc certify real diamonds. Therefore, you should check out these names on the certificate. This is particularly important when you are buying the diamond on the Internet.
Do some self testing
These stones have a very high refractive index. Because of this, the stone should sparkle in shades of gray. If you notice that the diamond shows rainbow sparkles, it is but obvious these stones are not real. There is also a transparency test to find out the genuineness of this stone. You can place the diamond upside down on a printed paper. If you can read the letters on the printed page, you can make out that it is not real. Finally you can conduct a fog test. Breathe on the diamond jewelry mildly. In case of real diamond, the fog will disappear in a second or two. In case of imitation diamonds, the fog remains for some time.
Take a look at the setting quality
As diamonds are very expensive stones, a real diamond is generally set in gold, silver, platinum or an expensive metal. It is mostly the fake ones that are framed or mounted in second-rate metals. The settings are also badly crafted with poor finishing. This explains that the stone is certainly not real diamond.
Look for scratches
Real diamonds hardly have scratches, damages and scuffs. This is because of its strong durable nature. Stones that look similar such as cubic zirconium, crystals and moissanite are prone to scratches and other imperfections. Before you buy the diamond jewelry, check the stone with a magnifying glass. If you come across several scratches, it is an indication that the stone is not diamond.
Keep it under UV light
According to Miss-Olsen.net, when kept under a ultra-violet (UV) light, a high quality diamond displays blue fluorescence. This confirms that it is real diamond. But with the help of this test, you cannot always say the stone is fake because, some inferior quality diamond also do not show the strong dazzling color.
If you know the basic techniques of checking fake diamonds, you can save yourself from crooked retailers who make money out of unscrupulous activities.