How To Identify If A Diamond Is Real
Are your diamonds real? That is, as they say, the million dollar question or can be. Hence, here at Antique Rings Online weve compiled some top tips to help our customers and fellow diamond lovers.
Shed a Little Light on the Matter
One of the most magical and alluring qualities a real diamond possess is the ability to reflect white light into a rainbow of colours externally. This dispersion of colour is commonly referred to as a diamonds fire. Meanwhile, inside the stone should sparkle with a whitish and / or greyish hue. If you have ever heard anybody speak of a diamonds brilliance, this is what they were speaking of. The combined fire and brilliance of a true diamond is a quality unique to the stone....and entirely enchanting.
The problem lies in that observing a rainbow of colours often deceives a person into believing the stone they are inspecting is a genuine diamond. The trick is to pay particular notice to the colours reflected inside the stone, not from it. Hence, closely scrutinise the stone as to whether it displays a brilliance. Observing different colours reflecting within a stone may imply the stone is not a diamond at all. At the very least, it should warrant further investigation.
The Sand Paper Test
This test is age old. The idea is to rub a piece of sandpaper directly against the stone. While the very idea of treating what might be a diamond in this literally rough manner might seem shocking, remember diamonds are one of the hardest materials known to man; a true diamond will remain intact and unscratched by undergoing the sandpaper test. In contrast, a glass stone or cubic zirconium, for example, will not fare so well.
Still Not Convinced? ...Invest In A Loupe
A loupe, or jewellers magnifying device, can prove a little gem in itself, no pun intended. Bought inexpensively online or via many high street jewellers shops, a loupe permits its user to take a very close look at their stones.
When using a loupe to assess the value and legitimacy of your diamonds, always hope not for perfection but the opposite; real diamonds are made by nature; hence, even the most exquisite of examples will bear some imperfections or inconsistencies. In contrast, an artificial or fake diamond might appear perfect. This is the first and most obvious difference that any professional gemologist will look for. That said, no gemologist would be so rash as to toss aside a perfect seeming stone. Even a stone which looks suspiciously devoid of imperfections can be valuable. For example, sometimes a laboratory-grown stone will appear perfect when looked at through a loupe.
Fortunately, there are other tell-tale signs. Looked at through a loupe a diamond will possess sharp and defined edges, where as a fake will often have softer, more rounded edges. As well, plated gold or silver are extremely rarely used, for example, to house diamonds after all, who would place such a valuable stone in such a cheap metal? These are the sorts of questions we can all ask ourselves, and experts always ask themselves, when examining jewellery through a loupe.
Lastly, Turning To A Gemologist
The only genuine way to find out whether your gems are genuine is to invest in having them looked over by a gemologist. A gemologist isnt just somebody able to tell you whether what you have is a genuine diamond. A gemologist should be able to tell you a stones worth. Even if you are not looking to sell your diamonds, without knowledge of which a person could easily find themselves selling, insuring or treating a stone unwisely. Look for a GIA, FGA or DGA certified gemologist who is able and willing to provide an in-depth valuation and report of that valuation, as well as an Insurer Notice, so that you can insure your diamonds for what they are truly worth.