There are lots of
ways to test whether a diamond is real. You can scratch it,
heat it up, or look at it through a microscope.
We reached out to diamond expert Russell Shor, the senior
industry analyst at Gemological
Institute of America, to tell us some ways diamonds differ
from competitors in looks alone.
Notice the way light is refracting
You should not be able to
see through a real diamond.
REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid
Diamonds are so sparkly because of the way they
refract and bend light. Glass, quartz, and cubic zirconia may
mimic a diamond's brilliance, but they have much lower refractive
indexes.
This means that if your stone isn't in a
setting, you can place it over a newspaper and the
light will scatter inside the real diamond and prevent a black
reflection, according to Shor. A fake diamond will let the black
type show through.
"
If you can distinguish
any of the letters by looking into the stone, it is not a
diamond," Shor told Tech Insider.
If the diamond you're looking at is mounted, make sure you can't
see through it to the mount — that's a sign the stone is most
likely cubic zirconia or glass.
See how it sparkles in the light
A diamond should sparkle
white and throw off some flashes of color.
Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
The way diamonds reflect light is unique: Inside
the stone, a high-quality diamond will sparkle gray and white —
known as brilliance — and throw off flashes of color called
fire.
Knowing this, it’s easy to tell the difference
between a diamond and lesser stones. Take cubic zirconia (CZ) for
instance. Not only will it have less brilliance than a diamond,
but it will have less fire as well, according to Shor.
"A diamond has a higher refractive index than
CZ, so diamonds will have more fire," he told Tech
Insider.
Another popular diamond substitute is a stone
called moissanite. Shor said moissanite is doubly refractive,
which means it is way more sparkly than a diamond, with a lot
more fire. In overhead or direct lighting, moissanite will often
have a "disco-ball effect" and throw bright rainbow sparks in all
directions.
To put it succinctly, a CZ gem will seem dull
compared with a diamond and not nearly as sparkly. A moissanite
stone will be way more sparkly than a diamond and give off a lot
of fire or rainbow colors.
Still not sure? See an expert
Still
in doubt? Take the diamond to an expert.
Thomson Reuters
Of course, this is all by glancing at a stone and not a
definitive way to tell whether a diamond is fake or to
distinguish between lab-grown diamonds and the
real thing.
To be absolutely sure the stone you have is a
real diamond, it is always best to consult a professional
gemologist, Shor said.
But if you're just judging your friend's
engagement ring, take a long hard look at how it sparkles.
source - http://www.techinsider.io
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