How To Tell If A Diamond Is Real?

You always wanted to own a diamond or two – and now you finally saved up money, enough to get one. Good for you!

Before you spend hard-earned cash on a piece of diamond-embedded jewelry, you need to prepare – as in, arm yourself with the necessary knowledge – on how to tell if a diamond is real.

There are at least a dozen ways that you can test a diamond’s legitimacy. Unfortunately, only a few of them are safe for those precious stones.

Now, you’re probably wondering: Which tests are safe for diamonds? What makes some tests more dangerous when compared to others? What can occur to some diamonds if they’re put on a hazardous trial? Is there a test that stands above all others accuracy-wise?

If you share the same thoughts, we’re glad to inform you that you’ll learn everything about how to tell if a gem is genuine or not today.

So, stick around to unveil the mysteries of this topic!

Pay Close Attention When Buying Diamonds!

There are scammers everywhere! So, let’s start today’s topic on a more serious note: Whenever you decide to purchase a new piece of jewelry that’s embedded with diamonds, you’ll need to pay close attention to several details.

The first thing to ask for when trying to buy a diamond is to look at its official certificate. What’s a diamond certificate?

Well, whenever someone locates a diamond “in the wild,” they’re required to document several vital pieces of information in a specific document. Those pieces of information are primarily the exact date and time it was found, the stone’s weight, and the depth at which it was located.

Once those pieces of information are gathered, we can store the diamonds in special containers that are later shipped to one of the designated locations across the world – including India and China.

Those two countries are some of the most famous and well-established diamond-manufacturing countries on our planet, by the way. Between the two of them, thousands of employees work tirelessly every day to clean and shape diamonds.

As soon as diamonds pass all of the exams, they’re immediately shipped to jewelry shops. All jewelry shops worldwide are connected to the main diamond-trading companies, such as De Beers, that govern how global diamond supplies are distributed and at what prices.

If they see fit, they could immediately shut the entire supply of diamonds on a worldwide scale!

But we highly doubt that something like that will occur in the near future. As long as there aren’t any major problems that might endanger the diamond-making industry, we will have a constant and smooth supply of diamonds.

Why is this important for today’s topic?

Coincidentally, everything that happens to the diamond before you buy it has to be documented in those certificates; they serve as pieces of evidence that prove the legitimacy of that precious stone.

If you can’t look into and trace some of the whereabouts of a particular diamond, that alone is a red flag and could prove troublesome for someone who’s looking to purchase it.

So, if you want to avoid any unnecessary troubles – ask to look into the official certificate before buying a diamond.

So, where does the official diamond certificate rank among the most important things that could prove the legitimacy of a diamond?

Well, there are several loopholes there, and these documents could be tampered with, sadly. But the good news is that even if someone manages to alter the pieces of information in that document, we can still check the legitimacy of the diamonds in other ways.

Interested in learning what those ways are? Let’s take a closer look!

1. Fog Test

The beauty of this test – and others listed below – is that anyone can perform them, regardless of their level of knowledge in diamonds.

You could even ask the jeweler to prove to you that that precious stone is, in fact, real. Don’t be anxious to ask them about their legitimacy; it’s pretty common for people nowadays to be a bit suspicious in that regard.

So, let’s get started: To perform the fog test, you’ll need a diamond – well, obviously. It doesn’t matter if that diamond is one-carat, ten-carat, or anything in between; all diamonds can be tested in the same fashion regardless of their shape and weight.

It might prove beneficial to have a fake or artificial diamond alongside the natural one. It’ll offer you a better understanding of the differences regarding the outcome of the tests.

You’ll see what we mean in a moment.

To begin with this, you’ll need to place the diamond between two fingers and make sure there’s space directly above and below the diamond.

It’s worth noting that most of you won’t have access to a diamond that’s free or, to be more precise – unembedded. Most people that own precious stones have them embedded in rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

So, we’d just like to point out that the results might not be the same – as in, they might be less accurate – if the gem’s already been set into jewelry.

With that out in the open, pick up the diamond and breathe directly on it; a quick puff of air will be enough.

As soon as you breathe on it, a curtain of fog will manifest directly on that side of the diamond.

Pay close attention to what happens next: If the manifested fog disappears immediately, then you can wipe the sweat off your forehead, as that means that you have a genuine diamond!

On the other hand, if it takes several seconds for the fog to disappear, then we’re sorry to inform you that the rock you’re currently holding isn’t a diamond.

If you aren’t satisfied with the result, we recommend that you take a fake diamond and test it, as well, for comparison’s sake.

If you place the fake diamond in the same spot and breathe some air on it, the difference should be blatantly evident. The fake gem should keep the fog for at least a couple of seconds before it vanishes.

What makes real diamonds deal with fog that much quicker?

The secret lies in the diamond’s ability to conduct heat. Genuine diamonds are excellent heat conductors that disperse all kinds of heat exceptionally quickly.

Unfortunately, fake diamonds don’t have that luxury – therefore, they can’t pass this test.

2. Water Test

Many people will try to disagree with the previous test’s results. And how could we blame them?

Imagine that you’ve had a diamond for several years, and one morning, someone forces you to perform a random breath test – and the results come back negative.

Every single person would be mad!

Luckily, if someone is still suspicious of the previous test, they could perform another one. Once the results are in, you can compare both – and get a more definite answer, preferably one you’ll be happy to get.

The same rules apply to this test: It can be performed in the comfort of your home or at the jewelry shop, provided that they possess the necessary equipment.

To be honest, we’re exaggerating with the necessary equipment part, as you only need a transparent glass and some water.

And obviously, you should also have a flat surface to place the glass on and fill it with water. It doesn’t matter if the water’s hot, cold, or at room temperature – just make sure that it’s not too hot because you’ll have to “fish out” the diamond later.

Also, try not to fill the glass all the way; leave at least one-quarter of space at the top of the glass. By doing so, you won’t need to worry about spilling any in the process.

Okay, is your glass filled with water and positioned on a flat surface?

Well, then, it’s time to grab the desired diamond that you will test for its legitimacy here. Oh, and again, we highly recommend that you have a fake one on hand, too, to compare the results.

Hold the diamond directly over the glass and gently release it from your hand and let it drop in the water. There isn’t any need to wait – the result will be evident immediately.

If the precious stone sinks to the bottom of the glass straight away, that means that the diamond is genuine.

Contrary to that, try the same thing with the fake one. The difference should be instantly evident – as soon as you drop the fake stone in the water.

You see, a diamond that’s not genuine will remain on the surface or will float slightly underneath it. Either way, it won’t sink.

Why does the real diamond sink all the way?

The answer’s hidden in the density of the real diamonds – it’s incredibly high.

At that level of density, it will immediately sink to the bottom of the glass. On the other hand, fake diamonds can’t mimic the density of genuine ones.

And due to that lack of density, they will remain closer to the top of the glass.

Learn More: Diamond Refractive Index: Do Diamonds Disappear In Water?

3. Diamond Tester

On the off chance that you still aren’t convinced with the previous two tests – you could always use a diamond tester.

We know that these tiny gadgets don’t look like much – and they’re not the be-all-end-all type of tester among professionals – but they’re one of the best ways for consumers to test diamonds before purchase.

Oh, and if you wish to learn more about diamond testers – we got you covered: Click on the link here, and you’ll learn everything there is about how diamond testers work!

Try imagining the fog test – but on a more profound scale.

The diamond tester gathers the information about the diamond’s ability to conduct heat, and by doing so, determines if it’s fake or real. Real diamonds will cause the tester to produce a steady “beep” – but with fake ones, there won’t be a “beep” at all.

Granted, some might use LED lamps as indicators – but you get the idea. And if that doesn’t give you the answer you were hoping for – well, we’re sorry to hear that.

Related Read:

Alternative Tests

There are several alternative tests people have tried over the years, too. Some examples that should be mentioned here include trying to heat the gemstone to see if it will shatter or hitting it directly with a hammer.

But we urge you not to try those tests. They could alter the overall appearance of the diamonds, which can lead to them losing value – and that’s something you’re likely hoping to avoid.

Stick only to the previously mentioned ones, and you won’t have any issues with decreasing the value – or damaging the breath-taking looks – of your gems.

To Sum Up

Regardless of where and when you buy your diamonds, we’d highly recommend that you set aside some free time to put those diamonds to the test. Believe it or not, fake diamonds are everywhere these days.

So, if you wish to learn how to tell if a diamond is real, we suggest that you start with learning how to interpret the official certificate. If your diamond comes with all the required paperwork, it’s likely genuine – but it doesn’t hurt to read through it, anyway.

In those documents, you can trace the exact whereabouts – the when, where, and how of mining – of your diamonds, along with additional information about their quality.

If you don’t have a certificate on hand, you could perform one of the following tests to see if it’s the “real thing” or not:

Fog test
Water test
Using a diamond tester

There are several alternative tests you can perform.

But we recommend that you restrain yourself from those, as they can prove detrimental towards your diamonds.

Keep them safe – and stick to scientifically proven and accurate ways of testing the gems.