2006-07-26 22:50:18 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Honestly, there is NO good test to visually ID a real diamond from every type of fake without having specialized equipment. Lots of materials manufatured now can scratch glass - that's a horrible test to do, all it will help you rule out is costume jewelry from the early 1900's and before. Even Amethyst can scratch glass, and it's just a variety of quartz - which is one of the most common minerals found on earth. There are also now manmade diamonds which are real diamonds - except for the fact that they are manmade (Wired magazine a few years ago).
Here are the best links I could find to give you some insight into this:
http://www.niceice.com/simulants.htm
http://www.kaufmanandcompany.com/lecture.html
http://www.gemsociety.org/
To show the similarities in optical properties:
http://www.gemsociety.org/chd2.htm
Here's a link for tools used in identification:
http://www.jimsgems.com/tool.html
Hope this helps!
2006-07-28 14:33:48 · answer #1 · answered by Rockmeister B 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If the stone is unmounted, place it on a newspaper or book. If you can see the text pretty clearly (although distorted) through the stone, then it is fake. A real diamond refracts too much light for you to see through it.
Diamonds are the hardest known substance. Any other facsimile of a diamond will be easily scratched by sandpaper. Diamonds will not. If a store claims it is a diamond, and you can scratch the surface with wet/dry sandpaper, then it is a fake.
When holding the diamond up to light, it shouldn't show colors like a prism does. The diamond should only let through white light.
A reputable jeweler will have an instrument called a diamond tester available. This instrument, when touched to the surface of a diamond, will register whether or not the diamond is real.
2006-07-27 05:55:42 · answer #2 · answered by sahel578 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The refrective index of diamond is the most important thing to check the quality of it.
In the basic terms - Bring diamond near ur eye with another eye closed and try to look into it as if it was mirror. You must be able to see the surrounding things little far away - 25 yards in the diamond itself as crystal clear. Make sure u do it on sunny day.
Loooks like u want to verify the diamonds in ur ring :) SMiles.
2006-07-27 05:53:44 · answer #3 · answered by Inquistive_man 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
real diamond will scratch glass
2006-07-27 05:52:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
diamond cuts glass, no other glass can do that
2006-07-27 07:07:01 · answer #5 · answered by dereckdsouza 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋