How to spot a fake diamond?
If you are a newbie to the world of diamonds, this is going to be a challenge, But for people who have been delving into this precious stone for a while, spotting a fake from a real stone can be as easy as identifying identical twins.
So if you want to jump from one extreme to the other, read on. But first, let’s go to the basics.
What is a Fake Diamond
A fake diamond is a gemstone that, in some respects, looks like a diamond but is not. In the jewelry business, it is called a simulant.
A diamond simulant, or diamond imitation, or diamond alternative, is an object or material that shows some characteristics found in real diamonds.
Diamond simulants should not be taken as similar to synthetic diamonds. This is because lab-created, synthetic diamonds are actual diamonds possessing the same material properties as natural diamonds.
The most common diamond simulants used in jewelry are moissanite (such as the one in this DovEggs review), cubic zirconia, and rhinestone (a form of high-leaded glass). While moissanite is a natural stone, the latter two are artificial materials. Other artificial materials considered as simulants are strontium titanate and synthetic rutile. Both were developed in the mid-1950s but are no longer in common use.
How to Tell If a Diamond is Real
Simulants, if properly cut and polished, can look like real diamonds as shown below—pictures of real diamonds vs fake.
At first glance, an untrained eye could not tell the difference. You might even have second thoughts if your diamond jewelry is real or fake. However, to put your mind to rest, the following are DIY tests to make sure you have the real deal.
Fog test
Put your diamond in front of your mouth and fog it with your breath. If the fog clears up in a second or two, then it is real. If it takes three seconds or more, then it is a fake.
The reason for this is that diamonds disperse heat instantaneously, making it impossible to fog up. Of course, you need to make sure that the diamond is not coated with a thin film of oil before doing this test.
In a sense, this is the fastest and easiest way how to tell a real diamond by eye. This is also a very convenient way how to tell if diamonds are real without a tester.
Water test
This is one of the easiest ways to determine if your diamond is real or not—but this is not very conclusive.
This is how to do it. Get a glass full of water. Then drop your diamond jewelry into it. If your diamond is real, it will immediately drop to the bottom of the glass because of a diamond’s high density. If it is a simulant, it may float on the surface. Unfortunately, not all simulants float, so you may have to use another test to make sure.
Use a magnifying glass
Another useful tip on how to spot a fake diamond is the use of a magnifying glass. Except in very rare cases, all diamonds have flaws—inner inclusions or surface imperfections. You can notice these flaws by using a simple 10x jeweler’s eye loupe. If you can’t see any flaw, you may have a very rare and expensive flawless diamond, or lab-created.
Using a black light
Try securing a black (UV) light to test the authenticity of your diamond.
To do this test, turn off all the lights in your room. Turn on the black light and place your diamond jewelry beneath it. Wait for a few seconds and observe the color your jewelry reveals. A real diamond will emit a blue-colored glow. This is called fluorescence.
Not all diamonds, however, will display a blue fluorescence. But if the gem will emit a slightly green, gray, or yellow fluorescence, then it is not a diamond.
Again, this test is not conclusive as not all diamonds display this characteristic. Try using other tests or consult a jeweler.
Check the setting
This test is for a diamond that is already mounted as a ring. Diamonds are expensive and, true to their worth, are always mounted on high-quality metals like platinum, white gold (such as the one in this Tiffany & Co review), or yellow gold, with pave or halo setting with side-stones.
To determine if the metal is as described when purchased, look for markings inside the ring band. If PT and karat markings are present, then it is platinum. Markings like 10K, 14K, and 18K indicate the type of gold used. If you see 585, 770, 900, or 950 markings, again this indicates platinum or gold.
But if you see “C.Z,” it means the center store in cubic zirconia—a simulant. Other markings that could mean a false diamond are .92a or Argentium Silver.
Check its transparency
This is a refractivity test. And before doing it, be sure your diamond is clean of smudges and body oils.
To perform the test, put the stone (on its flat side) on a piece of newspaper with lots of printing on it. Make sure, too, that the room is brightly-light, with no object casting a shadow on the gem.
Gaze into the diamond. If you can read the letters from the newspaper—blurry or not—then the stone is fake. With a real diamond, you can’t read any letter because the facets will refract the light in multiple directions, not in a straight line.
Fire test
Using a tweezer, heat your diamond over a lighter for 30 to 4o seconds. Then drop it into a glass of cold water.
If it is a fake diamond, it will break into pieces. A real diamond won’t. This is because weaker materials can’t handle the rate of expansion or contraction they are subjected to. During their formation, real diamonds went through extreme conditions of heat and pressure for billions of years. A few seconds over a cigarette lighter is nothing.
This is the most accurate way to test a diamond’s authenticity. But be careful in doing this test. Cigarette lighters may explode.
Flashlight test
Lastly, there is the flashlight test. So, how to tell if a diamond is real with a flashlight? Or can a flashlight be used to determine the authenticity of a diamond?
As ridiculous as it may seem, the answer to the second question is Yes. Remember that diamonds are valued because of their light performance —how they absorb, refract, and bounce back light. Without light, a diamond is nothing but a lump of rock. And a flashlight is a source of LIGHT.
Before answering the first question, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Both diamonds and simulants sparkle. But they sparkle differently. Real diamonds sparkle more than fakes.
- Real diamonds exhibit more brilliance than simulants.
- On the surface, real diamonds will reflect rainbow colors, also known as “fire.” Fake diamonds show rainbow colors within the stone.
- Real diamonds reflect both white and colored light beautifully. Fake diamonds can’t do the same,
How to tell if a diamond is real with a flashlight
Doing this test is fairly simple. Just follow the following:
- Switch on the flashlight (a cellphone light will do). Put it on a flat surface so the light vertically shoots up.
- Put the diamond, face down, on top of the lens.
- Observe how the light passes through and exits the diamond.
- Notice the brilliance of the gem; how it separates light into a rainbow of colors as it exits. These colors will be reflected on the surface surrounding the diamond, not in the diamond.
- Get cubic zirconia or a piece of glass and do the above steps. Observe the difference.
Stones That Could Pass for Diamonds
There are numerous gemstones in the market and telling one from the other is next to impossible if you are not familiar with the minutiae of gemstones. To the inexperienced eye, they look and feel the same. And, more often than not, dishonest jewelers price them way above their true value. This nefarious activity is more prevalent with diamonds.
Because of their popularity, there are about six gemstones that can pass for diamonds and, if you are not careful, may fall for any one of them. These are:
- White Zircon
- Cubic Zirconia
- Moissanite
- White Topaz
- Quartz
- White Sapphire
Now the question is how to spot them if placed side by side with a diamond.
White Zircon
White zircon is a natural, colorless variety of Zircon gemstones. It is considered the purest form of natural Zircon stone as it lacks any color impurities.
White zircon is an excellent alternative to diamonds. It is cheaper, yet possesses similar light dispersion to diamonds, and its double dispersion characteristics give it more sparkle.
Differentiating it from a diamond requires testing it for hardness. White zircon is 7.5 in the Mohs scale while a diamond is at 10.
Cubic Zirconia
Cubic zirconia is a synthesized form of zirconium dioxide. It is hard and usually colorless.
Look at a sample under natural light to differentiate them from a real diamond. A diamond gives off a more white light (brilliance), while cubic zirconia will give off a noticeable rainbow of colored light.
Moissanite
White Topaz
White topaz is a colorless form of topaz (a silicate material of aluminum and fluorine). It is often compared to diamonds for its physical features and luster. Though mostly transparent, it could have traces of color due to different impurities in the mineral.
This gemstone is also brilliant and sparkles under a light source. Differentiating it from diamonds requires testing it for hardness. The hardness of white topaz is 8 Mohs while that of a diamond is 10. It also has a lower refractive index, 1.64, against a diamond’s 2.42.
Quartz
Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earth’s crust. Chemically, it is composed of a crystalline form of silicon and oxygen.
It has a glassy luster with a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. As such it can scratch glass and all types of steel. Unless you have a very keen eye for gemstones, it is quite difficult to differentiate quartz from diamond except by these three methods:
- Crystal analysis: both quartz and diamonds are natural crystals. But they vary in structure. Quartz’s silicon dioxide molecules are aligned to form six-sided hexagonal crystals—usually longer than they are wide. On the other hand, the carbon atoms of diamonds arrange themselves into squat isometric eight-sided crystals that may appear as two pyramids joined together at the base.
- Specific gravity test: the specific gravity of quartz ranges from 2.6 to 2.7, while that of diamonds is 3.1 to 3.53. This means that a diamond of the same size as quartz will be heavier.
- Refractive index: the refractive index of quartz is between 1.544 to 1.553, while that of a diamond is 2.418. You can do a quick refractivity test by placing both stones in vegetable oil or oil of wintergreen. Quartz will disappear while a diamond will remain very distinct.
- Hardness test: though this is a destructive test but very effective to differentiate quartz from diamonds. Quartz has a hardness of 7.0 on the Mohs scale while diamond is 10
White sapphire
White sapphire is any gem-quality corundum that’s colorless or white. Sapphires, including white sapphires, are one of the four precious gemstones together with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Like any gemstone, buying white sapphire should be done with extra care.
Differentiating diamonds from white sapphire is quite easy. The sparkle of white sapphire is silvery-gray while that of a diamond is a rainbow of colors with some white mixed in. This is due to a diamond’s high refractive index.
You can easily tell which is a diamond and a white sapphire simply by looking at them side by side through the naked eye. A diamond has that unmistakable brilliance (white light that reflects back to your eyes) and fire (colored light that reflects back to your eyes, as well).
Buying a Diamond Doesn’t Have To Be Risky
In the hierarchy of gemstones, diamonds sit at the very top. Nothing else can come close to its brilliance and fire. But they are way too expensive for most jewelry lovers. This gap between desire and capacity to own has ushered in a deluge of diamond-looking gemstones These are called fake diamonds or simulants. And knowing how to differentiate them from real diamonds is of paramount importance so buyers, like you, won’t be taken in by unscrupulous merchants.
Now, if you truly want an alternative to diamonds, check out our article, “A Buyer’s Guide to Lab-Grown Diamonds: All You Need To Know.”