Maybe you have heard an old marketing pitch that claims “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, right?
Well, not if they were supposed to be the real deal but instead, they’re fake!
One of the disturbing things that we encountered from time to time was when a woman came into our store and asked us to test to see if the diamond that was given to her by her fiancé or husband is real.
The look on her face told the full story about where the relationship was heading depending on what the verdict was.
Either that, or it could have just as easily told the story about the integrity of the store that it came from!
When you are the one who is buying a diamond, it is important to make sure that you are getting the real thing if that is what you are after. Unfortunately, there are many fake diamonds on the market that are passed off for being real.
If you are not careful, you might end up paying a lot of money for a stone that is not worth much of anything above the mounting it is set in.
In this article, we will discuss three ways to tell a real diamond from a fake one.
Table of Contents
The Difference Between Real and Fake Diamonds
To the untrained eye, the average person does not really know how to tell the difference between a fake and a real diamond, except for what they are being told by the person who is trying to sell it.
Keep in mind that if you are going to be shopping online, this is probably the arena that you will want to ensure that sellers have a fair return policy on what they sell, and that they also have Certification documents that you can have verified.
A real diamond has characteristics that go far beyond those that are fake.
Inclusions/Imperfections
The first way to tell the difference between a real and fake diamond is by looking at it through a loupe, which is a small magnifying glass.
A real diamond will have tiny imperfections called inclusions.
These are usually tiny crystals of other minerals that were present when the diamond was forming deep underground.
Fake diamonds, on the other hand, will usually be flawless. This is because they are made in a laboratory and can be cut and polished to perfection.
Hardness
The second way to tell the difference between a real and fake diamond is by testing its hardness. Diamonds are the hardest natural substance on Earth.
They rate a perfect ten on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. This means that they can only be scratched by other diamonds.
Some people may prefer fake ones because they just want something sparkly, and they have other things to spend thousands of dollars on.
Others feel as though they believe that diamonds are a sign of oppression or simply because they can think of more pressing things to spend money on.
Ways To Tell A Real Diamond From A Fake Diamond
There are a plethora of ways to find out whether or not a diamond is fake. Let’s take a little dive into the subject so that you can walk away with confidence that you won’t be sold something that you didn’t want.
Certification/Appraisals
Ask the store to see if they have any certification papers for the diamond. If the diamond is a decent size and is priced over $4,000, they will likely have paperwork that certifies the authenticity, but if not, they will be willing to send it out for grading to a Graduate Gemologist who does nothing but grading gemstones for a living.
Make certain to read the entire report to see if it matches up with the stone in question.
Diamond Tester
Ask the salesperson to show you the results as they put the diamond tester onto the diamond while you stand there watching. They can do this with any stone whether or not it is loose or mounted.
- If the stone is a diamond, the tester will emit a high pitch beep and light up green. If the stone is a moissanite, the tester will not emit any sound at all and will light up orange and in the moissanite zone.
- If the diamond is fake or a CZ or any other kind of stone, whether natural or glass, it won’t do a thing. It will remain silent and unimpressed and no light will come on.
If the stone does light up in the moissanite zone, it is very possible that the tester needs a new set of batteries. You will probably notice a puzzled look on the salesperson’s face, because if they are 100% certain the diamond is indeed real, then the tester probably is just in need of fresh batteries.
Let them put in new batteries so they can prove it.
Look For Inclusions Within The Stone
Ask the salesperson to allow you to use their loupe to look into the stone. If you go online, you can buy your own 10X power loupe for about $15 and then practice learning how to use it.
It is very much like using any powerful magnification.
You simply put it up to your eye and with the other hand, adjust and move the distance of the ring backwards or forwards to make the focus sharp enough to see clearly into the stone.
Unless you are looking at the inside of a flawless diamond, or a diamond that is graded at VVS or better, you will have no difficulty seeing some types of inclusions.
Of course, you need to know what inclusions look like to begin with.
Seeing inclusions as you look at different angles of the diamond will indicate that the stone is real, because a fake stone or a CZ or a Moissanite will be flawless.
A real diamond will have something in it if it is of the grades most often found in middle-end jewelry stores.
This means that you will likely find an inclusion or two that may not be visible to the naked eye, but are visible looking through a 10X power loupe.
High-end Jewelry stores will be carrying more of the higher graded diamonds that fall into VVS2 or better.
You would use the exact same methods to determine if the diamond is real, even so.
How To Tell If A Mounted Diamond Is Real
If the diamond in question is in a mounting then have no fear!
It makes no difference whether or not a diamond that is already in a mounting can be identified as real. All diamonds, whether loose or mounted will have access to the table top so that they can be seen and tested.
You would follow the same instructions as laid out above in either case.
The only time that a mounted diamond would come into question is if it were chipped on the girdle or otherwise the mounting was concealing some damage.
This is just as important to know, especially if it is not being disclosed up front, and is yet another reason why you should go ahead and buy yourself a jewelers loupe before you go shopping for your diamond.
Keep in mind that after you have acquired your ring, you can also use the loupe to check to see if your ring is in need of any repairs.
How To Tell A Real Diamond By Eye
There are a few ways that you can tell if a diamond is real when it is already set into a mounting that you would not be able to do if it were a loose stone.
Chances are that the diamond you might want to buy will already be mounted when you are shopping, or you may have your own loose stone that you are questioning.
Most jewelry stores do not have loose diamonds or gemstones set out in their cases.
Some do, but they are the exception.
Most stores know that the best chance they will have to sell a diamond or any gemstone is to first mount it into a setting so that someone will not have to try and use their own imagination.
Here are a few ways that you can tell if a mounted diamond is real when you are standing or sitting in a jewelry store:
Transparency
If a diamond is mounted, look straight down through the top of the table.
You should not be able to see through to the bottom of it, if it is a real diamond.
The reason is simply because of the way the light passes through the facets of the stone. Facets will bend and break up light and cause that light to bounce around off of other facets like a kaleidoscope does when it is moved.
If an unmounted diamond is placed face down upon a newspaper, you should not be able to see the writing, and if you can – it has a problem.
Reflection
A real diamond will reflect in shades of gray and white when you are looking inside of it. If you are looking at a stone (mounted or not) and you can see a rainbow of color inside of it, then it is fake. Diamonds will pick up and shoot rainbows of color on the surface outside of it, but they will not display any color when looking through it on the inside.
Type of Setting
A good giveaway for suspecting that a diamond is fake is the type of setting it is mounted in.
You will rarely find a diamond that is mounted in sterling silver, brass, plated or any metal other than gold or platinum. Those real metals will be clearly hallmarked or acid tested if they have no mark due to their being very old or from other countries.
One caution is that there are people who have lost a center diamond and have replaced it with a fake simply because of the trauma of losing an expensive stone or not being able to afford another one.
This is why it is important to have a salesperson who will happily test the diamond especially if it is an antique or estate piece.
Fake Diamonds That Look Real
The market has become flooded with fake diamonds, some that actually look and behave very real. Perhaps you may even prefer them once you see the good ones.
If that is the case, then know that there are fakes that are much better than other fakes.
Here are some fake diamonds that look real.
CZ
CZ is short for cubic zirconia, and it is the most popular fake diamond on the market.
It is made from zirconium oxide and is pressed into the diamond shape. It is then cut with real diamond faceting tools to get the same look as a real diamond. It rates an eight on the hardness scale, which makes it harder than most natural gemstones, but not quite as hard as a real diamond.
Moissanite
Consider buying a moissanite if you want to go fake.
They are absolutely gorgeous!
Moissanites are created in a lab and have similar physical qualities to diamonds but are not real diamonds.
They are less expensive than diamonds and can be just as beautiful.
Moissanites will not scratch or become dull as long as they are kept clean. They sparkle like crazy, sometimes even better than real diamonds depending on the cut and clarity of the real diamond.
Are Fake Diamonds Worth Anything?
Fake diamonds are not worth much compared to diamonds. However, that is part of their appeal and their mountings might be worth quite a bit if they are made of gold or platinum.
Keep in mind that a fake diamond may have some kind of stigma of their own, especially if you are looking for a diamond that you will want to pass along to someone after your departure.
If you do buy fake and find yourself in need of some quick cash someday, this is not the way you will get it.
You will be lucky to get half of what you paid for your real diamond, and will get nothing for the fake diamond except for the value of the metal in the mounting, if it is real gold or platinum.
Final Thoughts
You will want to determine whether or not a fake or real diamond is going to meet your needs, and think for the longer term about what you’d want to do with it as you age.
If you will want to “trade up” a diamond at a later time in life for a better quality diamond or a larger one, a fake diamond will net nothing that would enable you to do that.
A real diamond has the chance to be used as a trade in value at the very least, or you can gift it to someone who you want to enjoy it. It is hard to try to convince someone that the fake diamond you left them in your Living Trust is not going to be an insult to them unless they knew you well enough to see how much you loved wearing it.