7 ways to spot fake diamonds

Have you ever wondered that a loose diamond you bought wasn’t real, or whether your diamond jewelry was genuine? If the stone came with a certificate from the GIA or AGS, you can rest assured that the diamond is real. However, if the diamond was a gift or an inheritance and you don’t have the certificate, you might be wonder.

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If you have a stone you are in doubt about, here are 7 ways to check its authenticity.

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1. The Magnification Test
2. The Fog Test
3. The Black Light Test
4. The Newspaper Test
5. The Temperature Test
6. The Water Test
7. The Conductivity Test

1. Magnification test

Look the stone under the microscope. The genuine diamond will have some internal or external flaws, known as inclusions. If it is a cubic zirconia or moissanite, it will have no internal flaws, and probably no external flaws either.

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Because real diamonds are natural rocks that were formed in the earth, while cubic zirconia and moissanite are grown in labs. They’re not subject to all the environmental pressures that diamonds get while forming, so they don’t have those telltale quirks that identify a real diamond.

2. Fog test

Go to a relatively cool location, and blow hot air on the stone. You’re trying to surround the stone with warm moist air. Since a real diamond doesn’t retain heat well, your breath won’t create a fog on its surface. But a piece of moissanite will get fogged up quickly, just like your mirror, sunglasses, or cell phone screen.

3. Black light test

Hold the stone under the UV light, and see if the color seems to change at all. If the stone emits a bluish glow, it is most likely a real diamond.

4. Newspaper test

Place the stone on top of the newspaper, and see if you can read the words on the page through it.

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A real diamond of decent quality will refract light so intensely that you can’t see through it. On the other hand, cubic zirconia is more transparent, and you’ll be able to see right through it.

5. Temperature test

Holding the loose stone with the tweezers, heat it up over the lighter or candle flame for about 30 – 45 seconds. Then, drop it immediately into the icy water. A real loose diamond will not react to this extreme temperature change (they’re made of extremely strong material). However, many fake diamonds – including those made of glass, cubic zirconia, or quartz – will break or shatter during this test.

6. Water test

Simply drop the loose stone into the water. Because loose diamonds are so dense, they should sink to the bottom when dropped in a glass of water. Many diamond fakes – glass and quartz included – will float or not sink as quickly because they’re less dense.

7. Conductivity test

Something that not too many people know about diamonds is that they resist electricity. Testing a loose stone for electric conductivity is especially helpful if you aren’t sure whether your stone is a diamond or moissanite. Moissanite (if it is made well) can be extremely difficult to tell apart from a genuine diamond, having the same level of thermal conductivity. However, one relatively simple way to tell the difference is that moissanite will conduct electricity while a natural diamond will not.

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With the rise of moissanite in today’s diamond market, the majority of jewelers have an electricity testing tool on hand to determine the real from the lab-created.

Conclusion

If you have a loose stone or piece of diamond jewelry and you are unsure about its authenticity, try some of these home tests.