Purchasing an expensive product, every buyer is certainly interested in how to identify a diamond without being a specialist.
Certificate
How to identify a diamond when buying? The authenticity of the jewel is confirmed by a certificate. After the evaluation, the jewel is packed in a blister, in case of violation of the integrity of which the document of conformity loses its validity. Well-known companies provide goods with certificates, so the very name of the manufacturer already says a lot. In addition, you should pay attention to other characteristics.
Required parameters:
- diamond color (definition by transparency scale; colored nuggets are very rare);
- size;
- carat weight (200mg/6.4mm);
- purity (presence of inclusions);
- cut shape (round, oval, emerald, pear).
Optional Features:
- glow, a property of ultraviolet radiation;
- surface polishing degree;
- face symmetry.
An independent appraiser with a degree in gemology, not related to the implementation, will provide comprehensive information on how to distinguisha real diamond from a craft. He will identify and compile an indicator of the value of the product. The next step could be to register the stone in a specialized laboratory, which will indicate the unique characteristics, including the color of the diamond, and if the stolen jewelry is in the international database, it can be easily returned based on fixed description.
Tests at home
1. TransparencyA real diamond is not so transparent that images and letters can be seen through it. This can be found out by placing a stone with a stable edge on a printed type. The corners and apex of the cut should not be visible through the jewelry if it is set, although this may be due to the disproportionate polishing.
Another method is to look through a stone at a dot left on a clean sheet. If the diamond is not real, circular streaks will appear in that area, which are not visible when looking through a natural diamond.
2. Fogging
How to identify a diamond at home in seconds? When interacting with vapors, a real stone does not fog up. This can be revealed by breathing on a diamond. If there is a "haze" on its surface, most likely it is artificial. No amount of increased breathing can create a raid, except for a very short one.
3. Invisible in layers of waterA real diamond is hardly noticeable in the water column when viewed from above. But a fake will immediately reflect the unnatural part and the border of its docking with the real one. Often the lowerpart is forged.
Color
1. Expressive shine
High light refraction - the reason for the bright brilliance of the diamond. For comparison, crystal and quartz have a lower refractive index of light. Regardless of the cut, brilliance is the quality of a nugget.
2. Double refraction
A diamond casts double rays, unlike other stones: one is perpendicular to the face, and the other is away from it.3. Gray highlights
The diamond casts an exceptionally gray highlight, intense but not iridescent. Multi-colored shades are direct evidence of the low quality of diamonds. Genuine stone cannot sparkle with rainbow colors or be too bright: these are all features of artificial products.
Other criteria
View from any viewing angle
What is typical for a fake, only the top edge is ideal. Therefore, it is important to examine the jewel from different angles.
Susceptibility to temperature
If you hold the stone in the palm of your hand, it will remain cool for a long time. Rapid heating is not characteristic of a diamond. X-ray
Because a diamond has a transparent molecular structure, it makes sense to check it with x-rays, which can be done in a professional laboratory or at a local x-ray center. A true diamond is invisible in x-rays, unlike any minimal impermeability of crystals, glass, zirconium.
UV transilluminationIf possible, before you askthe question "is it possible and how to determine a diamond at home", it is worth testing it with ultraviolet radiation. Most diamonds give off a bluish glow. If the reaction of the stone to ultraviolet is green, yellow, gray, then you have moissanite.
Generally recognized characteristics of authenticity
Weight and size
According to the table of weight and size values, it is easy to determine if an existing diamond matches these data. For example, zirconium is half as heavy as diamond.
Impression on the setting
The official approach leaves no questions about how to identify a diamond in a piece of jewelry. Of course, according to its attributes. A frame of cheap quality will immediately give out a fake. If the imprint is missing or the stamp contains an inscription like "CZ" instead of the supposed 585, 750, 950, PT, Plat - you have a fake. The mark "CZ" is placed on ordinary metals framing artificial jewelry, usually cubic zirkonia.
Jewelry magnifying glassNatural diamonds are usually not without small defects. As a rule, these are subtle inclusions of natural origin, characteristic of fossils, as well as color changes.
Zirconia and semi-precious stones are usually free from defects, as they were created in laboratory conditions, where accidental natural influences are not foreseen. However, the absence of flaws is not a determining factor in authenticity.
Strength Testing
Testing a stone for strength is hardly appropriate withoutprevious checks: if the decoration is artificial, the test may destroy it. And before you define a diamond in this way, you should decide what is more important: to leave the jewelry in its original form or to find out the truth at any cost. The version that the stone will withstand a hammer blow, if it is real, is erroneous: strength does not exclude the fragility of the material.
Interaction with other stones
A diamond has cutting properties, which can be traced with glass and other stones, the polished surface of which will be scratched by a real diamond.
Interaction with abrasives If you rub the stone with sandpaper, there should be no scratches. This difference is not the only one, and auxiliary tests are needed.
Test by fire
It is enough to hold the stone over the lighter for 30 seconds, then throw it into cold water, and then observe how a sharp temperature drop will affect it. If there are no cracks inside, which happens with quartz or crystal, then the strength test can be considered passed.
Even experienced gemologists find it difficult to distinguish a nugget from an analogue created artificially, due to their identical chemical structure. Therefore, if you often need to check the authenticity of stones, it is recommended to purchase a comprehensive tester in a specialized center.
