Spotting a fake diamond is difficult, even for trained professionals as fakes can look almost like the real thing. Certain stones which have been known to popularly masquerade as natural diamonds are moissanite, zircon, man-made diamonds created in laboratories and crystals. However, they can never replace the real thing, no matter how shiny or well-cut they are. Phoney diamonds are something that every buyer should be aware of.
Here is a list of some simple tests you can conduct to spot a fake diamond.
- The weight test
Fake diamonds are much heavier than real ones. In fact, real diamonds weigh around half as much as cubic zirconium, which is the most common fake diamond available in the market. The carat weight of diamonds is an extremely precise measure, as you can imagine. But, many people confuse the carat of the diamond with its size, which has nothing to do with the other.
- The floating test
This is considered to be one of the easiest ways to find out if a diamond is real or fake. All you need for this test is a glass of water and a loose diamond. A real diamond will drop to the bottom of the glass because of the high density of the stone, but a fake one will float at the surface of the water.
- The transparency test
Place the diamond in an upside-down position on a newspaper so that the flat surface of the diamond rests against the flat plane of the table. Try and read the words written in the newspaper through the diamond. If the words are visible and readable, then the stone is not a diamond but a fake stone. Diamonds are known to refract light. Hence, it would be impossible for you to make out the words on the newspaper directly below a real diamond.
- The breath test
This is perhaps the least effective way of testing whether a diamond is fake or real, but it sure is one of the most fun. Diamonds are known to fog up only for a couple of seconds before becoming clear again. If you breathe on the stone and it remains fogged up for a longer time, it means that the stone is a fake.
- The black light test
When a real diamond is placed under ultraviolet light, a stone which has fluorescence in it turns blue. However, it’s important to know that this is possible with only one-third of all diamonds. On the other hand, a fake diamond will not look blue under the UV or black light.
- The fire test
If you want to find out if your diamond is real, you can put it through the fire test. Using a lighter, light the stone for about half a minute and then drop it into cold water. Doing so will not cause any harm to a real diamond, but a fake stone will splinter to pieces. This happens because weaker materials cannot handle the rate of expansion and contraction when heat is applied.
Though all of the above-mentioned tests may not be foolproof, they’re among some of the best ways of identifying a real diamond from a fake one. But the best way of protecting yourself from purchasing a fake stone is only purchasing certified diamonds from a reliable jewellery dealer in Toronto.