How do tell if a diamond is real without scratching my mirror?

Answer 1

Borrow someone else's mirror.

Answer 2

It is always best to have a certified gemologist examine the stone, or take it to a jewler for an appraisal.

There are some less reliable methods you can try but there are no guarantees with these:

1. The old “If it will scratch glass it has to be a diamond.” Well, it is true that diamonds do scratch glass but so do a lot of the other fakes on the market. To boot, it’s possible to injure your rock even if it’s real during your hardness test.

2. The transparency test. If you flip the diamond in question upside down and place it over some newsprint and can clearly read through the stone, it’s not a diamond. (The problem with this test is some diamonds are cut shallow and can be read through.)

3. The fog test. This test I like a lot. Put the rock in front of your mouth and fog it like you would try to fog a mirror. If it stays fogged for 2-4 seconds, it’s a fake. A real diamond disperses the heat instantaneously so by the time you look at it, it has already cleared up. (A down fall to this test is oil and dirt on the stone can effect its reliability and the test is not accurate at all on doublets where the top of the stone is diamond and the bottom is cubic zirconia epoxied together.)

4. The weight test. The most popular of diamond simulants (fake) is a cubic zirconia. C.Z.’s weigh approximately 55% more than diamonds for the same shape and dimension. So if you have a carat or gram scale at your disposal you can see if the imposter tips the scales too much.

5. The U.V. test. A high percentage of diamonds fluorescence blue when put under an ultra violet light (black light). Since 99% of all fakes don’t, a positive identification of medium to strong blue would indicate a diamond. The bad news is if this method proves you have a diamond, it also proves your diamond is worth less. Diamonds with blue fluorescence are as much as 20% less valuable. Remember, lack of blue fluorescence doesn’t mean it’s a fake; it could just be a better quality diamond.

6. Under the loop test. If you own some sort of magnifying lens, there are some things you can look for on the stone that might give away its identity:

A. Look at the rock from the top and see how well the facets (cuts on top of the diamond) are joined. They should be sharp not rolled.

B. Look at the girdle and see if it is faceted or frosty (a clear sign it’s a diamond) or waxy and slick (an indication it’s a fake).

C. While you’re looking at your stone under magnification, look into your stone to see if you detect any flaws (carbon, pinpoints, small cracks). These are typically clear indications it’s the real thing since it’s very hard to put inclusions in a fake.

Answer 3

Is there a decent hobby store near you? If so, ask if they sell something called a "jeweler's loupe" ( that's pronounced loop ). It's a small hand held magnifier. You might be able to buy one at a jewelry store, too, but definitely ebay or many jewelry supply places on the web. Just write it in the search line and they'll pop up. Remember that most REAL gems have flaws in them. It's a blast to look through a loupe and see just how many flaws ( imperfections ) are in your gems. Flaws include: cracks, inclusions of other minerals or liquid-filled cavities. A flawless stone is called "clean." Flaws can greatly reduce the value of a stone, but in some the "flaws" increase the value of the stone. The less flaws in a diamond, the more valuable it is but a flawless diamond is going to cost a veritable fortune. Most diamonds still contain tiny flecks of the original carbon from which they were formed, that's how you tell if they are real. Diamonds have been found in every single continent. They are carbon based just like ordinary pencil lead, coal and candle soot but were formed under intense heat and pressure millions of years ago. They are the hardest of all the gemstones. Have you seen those synthetic diamonds they sell on home shopping programs? Get yourself a handy loupe and inspect one and you'll see not a flaw in it! I hope your diamond is real.

Answer 4

Breathe on it and one that you know is fake. Your breath will evaporate from a real diamond much faster because diamond has a very high thermal conductivity.

Answer 5

Take it to a certified jeweler or gemologist.

Answer 6

scratch your window

Answer 7

car window works lol

Answer 8

take it to the pros, they will tell you for free