If you're in the market for jewelry, you're probably seeing a lot of diamonds at prices that are hard to believe. Of course, there's a good chance that some of them are fakes. There's nothing wrong with choosing an imitation stone as long as you know it's a fake, but no one should have to pay real diamond prices for them.
Fake diamonds can be made or presented in many different ways, and some fakes are even nice gems on their own. However, anyone who wants a diamond shouldn't be taken in by them. Anyone who really understands the different kinds of diamond look alikes should learn how to spot them and know when they're looking at the real thing.
Moissanite - a rare mineral that looks a lot like a diamond, but has really different chemical and physical properties. This isn't the most common diamond fake, since its rarity means that it may cost more than a natural diamond.
Cubic Zirconia - This common substitute for natural diamonds looks similar but is heavier and less costly.
Man Made Diamond - These are real diamonds, and are identical to natural ones both chemically and physically, but they were never in the ground and didn't form under the same unique conditions. Artificial diamonds are often much cheaper than natural ones.
Faceted Crystals - Cut glass is sparkly and attractive, but lower in quality and much more fragile than the real thing. These crystal stones could crack or shatter in a ring.
The four characteristics that help guide you in finding out whether a diamond is real and what quality it is are called the four Cs. These are cut, color, carat and clarity, and learning about them will help you keep from being fooled by unscrupulous jewelers.
You should only work with jewelers you trust, and whose reputation is good. They should be able to tell you in detail about your diamond and answer detailed questions.
When examining a diamond for quality, don't forget to look at the setting. These expensive gems won't be placed in a loose, crooked, or badly made setting, and if yours seems low quality, the stone probably isn't real, either.
Look at the stone to see if it's damaged, too. Diamonds should never be scratched, nicked, or scuffed - they're just too hard for this to happen. They should also reflect and sparkle in neutral tones, with rainbow sparkles indicating a fake.
Ask yourself how transparent the stone is, too. If you can turn a loose diamond upside down on a piece of paper with words on it, you should not be able to read the text. Real diamonds disperse light too much for this to happen.
You shouldn't be afraid to take a very close look at your diamond through a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe. A real stone will be well cut and have good definition, with fakes having asymmetry and being poorly cut. Real diamonds have faceted girdles, and may even have numbers on the girdle.
The fog test is another option. Because of their unique properties, diamonds rapidly disperse heat. That means that if you fog the diamond with your breath, it will vanish quickly, while imitation stones will remain fogged for a number of seconds. - 16747
Fake diamonds can be made or presented in many different ways, and some fakes are even nice gems on their own. However, anyone who wants a diamond shouldn't be taken in by them. Anyone who really understands the different kinds of diamond look alikes should learn how to spot them and know when they're looking at the real thing.
Moissanite - a rare mineral that looks a lot like a diamond, but has really different chemical and physical properties. This isn't the most common diamond fake, since its rarity means that it may cost more than a natural diamond.
Cubic Zirconia - This common substitute for natural diamonds looks similar but is heavier and less costly.
Man Made Diamond - These are real diamonds, and are identical to natural ones both chemically and physically, but they were never in the ground and didn't form under the same unique conditions. Artificial diamonds are often much cheaper than natural ones.
Faceted Crystals - Cut glass is sparkly and attractive, but lower in quality and much more fragile than the real thing. These crystal stones could crack or shatter in a ring.
The four characteristics that help guide you in finding out whether a diamond is real and what quality it is are called the four Cs. These are cut, color, carat and clarity, and learning about them will help you keep from being fooled by unscrupulous jewelers.
You should only work with jewelers you trust, and whose reputation is good. They should be able to tell you in detail about your diamond and answer detailed questions.
When examining a diamond for quality, don't forget to look at the setting. These expensive gems won't be placed in a loose, crooked, or badly made setting, and if yours seems low quality, the stone probably isn't real, either.
Look at the stone to see if it's damaged, too. Diamonds should never be scratched, nicked, or scuffed - they're just too hard for this to happen. They should also reflect and sparkle in neutral tones, with rainbow sparkles indicating a fake.
Ask yourself how transparent the stone is, too. If you can turn a loose diamond upside down on a piece of paper with words on it, you should not be able to read the text. Real diamonds disperse light too much for this to happen.
You shouldn't be afraid to take a very close look at your diamond through a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe. A real stone will be well cut and have good definition, with fakes having asymmetry and being poorly cut. Real diamonds have faceted girdles, and may even have numbers on the girdle.
The fog test is another option. Because of their unique properties, diamonds rapidly disperse heat. That means that if you fog the diamond with your breath, it will vanish quickly, while imitation stones will remain fogged for a number of seconds. - 16747
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