I recently recieved a pair of "diamond" studded earrings. The person who gave them to me said they were real but how can you tell??? What are some other ways to tell besides taking them to the jewelers?
See if it scratches a penny. if not these tests will help you dtermine if it is real.
If the gem in question is loose and unmounted, try placing it over printing. Diamonds refract so much light that they will not work as a magnifying glass and you would see no lines, circles, or letters through them. Other clear stones like glass or crystal will reveal the print clearly. A similar test uses a small light, such as the one that comes with your key ring. If you shine the light through the stone and cannot see it on the other side, but only a bright halo around the rim, it is more likely to be a true diamond.
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. Again, 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, one rock, called moissanite, will also pass this test, so the best way is to get a complete thermal conductivity evaluation performed by a jeweler.
Looking closely at the specks, ridges, and facets can also give you a clue into the identity of your gem. Diamonds do have inclusions, tiny bits of other minerals that got crushed into the diamond while it formed deep under the earth. However, if the facets have worn or rounded edges, bubbles, or if the gem looks rippled or pitted, it is probably glass. Those gems that are perfectly clear, with absolutely no inclusions, are probably quartz.
Finally, some common sense measures can prevent you from getting pressured to purchase a gem that turns out to be something other than a diamond. It shouldn’t be ridiculously inexpensive, or you’ll get what you pay for. It also will usually be mounted in an "open back" setting, which means that you can see around the rear of the gem and the back surface isn’t coated with any silvery substance. Although it’s true that diamonds are the hardest organic substance on earth, the infamous test of scratching diamonds across glass or metal might just give you a damaged diamond.
try scratching it with a knife if it does its fake, Diamonds cant be broken thats the reason there expensive the only thing that can cut a diamond is another diamond =]
You’ve seen this answer before, but scratching it against glass is an easy way to tell if its real or not. That may be difficult since it is set in earrings. You may be able to tell depending on the brilliance of the diamonds in questions.Your best bet is to go to a jeweler, who usually has the needed tools to tell for sure. http://twitter.com/brilliancecorp
7 Responses for "How can you tell if a diamond is real?"
See if it scratches a penny. if not these tests will help you dtermine if it is real.
If the gem in question is loose and unmounted, try placing it over printing. Diamonds refract so much light that they will not work as a magnifying glass and you would see no lines, circles, or letters through them. Other clear stones like glass or crystal will reveal the print clearly. A similar test uses a small light, such as the one that comes with your key ring. If you shine the light through the stone and cannot see it on the other side, but only a bright halo around the rim, it is more likely to be a true diamond.
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. Again, 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, one rock, called moissanite, will also pass this test, so the best way is to get a complete thermal conductivity evaluation performed by a jeweler.
Looking closely at the specks, ridges, and facets can also give you a clue into the identity of your gem. Diamonds do have inclusions, tiny bits of other minerals that got crushed into the diamond while it formed deep under the earth. However, if the facets have worn or rounded edges, bubbles, or if the gem looks rippled or pitted, it is probably glass. Those gems that are perfectly clear, with absolutely no inclusions, are probably quartz.
Finally, some common sense measures can prevent you from getting pressured to purchase a gem that turns out to be something other than a diamond. It shouldn’t be ridiculously inexpensive, or you’ll get what you pay for. It also will usually be mounted in an "open back" setting, which means that you can see around the rear of the gem and the back surface isn’t coated with any silvery substance. Although it’s true that diamonds are the hardest organic substance on earth, the infamous test of scratching diamonds across glass or metal might just give you a damaged diamond.
see if it scratches glass.
if it scratches a penny or a piece of glass it real
Working as jewelers is a wealthy profession
try scratching it with a knife if it does its fake, Diamonds cant be broken thats the reason there expensive the only thing that can cut a diamond is another diamond =]
scrape it on a peace of metal or a penny or glass if it scratches then its real because diamond can scratch virtually anything
You’ve seen this answer before, but scratching it against glass is an easy way to tell if its real or not. That may be difficult since it is set in earrings. You may be able to tell depending on the brilliance of the diamonds in questions.Your best bet is to go to a jeweler, who usually has the needed tools to tell for sure.
http://twitter.com/brilliancecorp
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