Sparkling diamonds are always a stunning feast to the eyes; so unsurprisingly, the price of these dazzling stones will be really high. Just like all other fields, there are many scams in the diamond jewelry field as well. Unfortunately, even a trained person will not be able to spot the difference between a real diamond and its fake counterpart easily, let alone the case of untrained eyes. In order to address such issues, it is recommended to purchase diamonds that comes with a credible authenticity certificate such as by the GIA.
However, it is not necessary that every diamonds have a GIA certificate, especially if you got it as a gift or if it is a vintage jewelry piece that was passed on to you as a family heirloom. In such cases, you may consider the following at-home tests to check the stone’s authenticity. If the results are suspicious, it is recommended to take your gemstone to a trustworthy gemologist in order to confirm the same.
Water Test
This is one of the simplest tests for determining the authenticity of loose diamonds. For this, take a glass filled with water up to the half. Then, drop your diamond into this glass. If the stone sinks, the chances for your diamond to be real are more. On the contrary, if your gemstone floats at the surface or just underneath the water, it is 100% fake because diamonds are known for their high density.
Fog Test
In order to perform fog test, hold your diamond ring in your hand and exhale a puff of air directly on to the stone. The gemstone is likely to become foggy because of the heat and moisture content in your breath. It is to be noted that diamonds are good conductors of heat, and hence, it ought to disperse heat instantly. So, if the fog on your diamond dissipated quickly, it is a real diamond. Otherwise, it is likely to be a fake.
Newspaper Test
This is another simple, but effective test to figure out whether your gemstone is real. For this, place your loose diamond on a newspaper. Make sure that the area has a lot of lettering and take care to place the stone with its flat side down. Additionally, ensure that there is proper lighting in the room and no objects are casting their shadows on the diamond. Once set, try to read the letters underneath through your diamond. In case you succeeded in reading the letters even with a blurry effect, you have got a fake diamond. That is because the facets of a real diamond will refract light rays in different directions, and as a result, you will not be able to see through a diamond.