The test is to simply scratch the loose stone against a mirror. The idea is that if the stone is hard enough to scratch the mirror, it's probably a diamond. In terms of the Mohs scale, however, this test proves inaccurate. The Mohs scale is a scientific measurement of mineral hardness.
This involves taking the diamond and attempting to scratch a mirror. If it leaves a mark on the mirror, it's a real diamond. However, the quality of false stones like cubic zirconia and moissanite has increased, and many can pass this test due to their durability.
The way that diamonds reflect light is unique: the inside of a real diamond should sparkle gray and white while the outside should reflect a rainbow of colors onto other surfaces. A fake diamond, on the other hand, will have rainbow colors that you can see inside the diamond as well.
While it's true that diamonds are hard enough to cut glass, some synthetic gems can also scratch glass.
Another optical trait of the diamond is their mirror-like effect. Unlike glass, which allows the light to penetrate it and “move on”, diamonds break light rays that penetrate them. This quality creates a mirror-like effect – light bouncing back to the viewer, which keeps him from looking “through” the diamond.
If you have a loose diamond to test, fill a regular glass about ¾ of the way full with water. Gently drop the diamond into the glass. If the diamond sinks to the bottom, it's real. If it floats at the surface or just underneath, it's likely a fake.
Keep the diamond clean.
This is probably the most important (and affordable) tip. A diamond that's dirty will not sparkle. Diamonds have an affinity for grease, so it's important to clean them regularly. Find out how to keep your diamond clean.
If you turn both a diamond and a CZ upside down, the bottom of a diamond will give off the entire rainbow of color reflections, whereas CZs usually have more exclusively orange and blue flashes. This is because cubic zirconias and diamonds have different refractive indexes.
Synthetic or fake stones, sparkle less than real, or mined diamonds. With light reflection, look for shades of gray. Synthetic stones, such as cubic zirconia, sparkle with more iridescent colors. Natural diamonds reflect light in more grayish hues.
Diamonds are dense and will sink quickly, while certain imitations will sink more slowly. If your gem doesn't immediately sink to the bottom, it's likely a glass or quartz imitation. However, other imitations, including cubic zirconia, will also sink quickly.
Diamond is a modern wall mirror with fully mirrored frame. Its angular shape and three-dimensional frame resemble the shape of a diamond.
We all love how a diamond shines in the sunlight. Test your stone by putting it in direct sunlight and examining the colors it reflects. A real diamond will reflect both rainbow colors as well as white light.
Fake diamonds do not reflect spectral rays from the beam of the flashlight. This is because a diamond's refractive index is high; it makes the white light entering the diamond split into multiple colors before it exits on the other side of the stone.
The free 4Cs app for Android is downloadable in English and Simplified Chinese. The GIA app is also available for iOS. A retailer version, designed for use at point of sale, is downloadable for free from GIA's retailer support site www.retailer.gia.edu.
To determine if your diamond is real, hold a magnifying glass up and look at the diamond through the glass. Look for imperfections within the stone. If you're unable to find any, then the diamond is most likely fake. the majority of real diamonds have imperfections referred to as inclusions.
The most effective way to tell Moissanite apart from a diamond is to use a loupe to look through the top, or the crown, of the jewel at an angle. You will see two slightly blurred lines that indicates a double refraction, an inherent quality of Moissanite. Double refraction is easier to see in some shapes than others.
Under natural light, diamonds give off white light. Cubic zirconia will show more fire. Both effects are beautiful and depend on personal preference. If you're looking for that telltale diamond sparkle, however, you won't find it in a cubic zirconia stone.
If you want a stone that shines, a diamond is the best bet. Cubic zirconia has a much lower refractive index than a diamond, so it captures light differently and shines less.
A diamond that has not been cleaned for a while can look milky due to a buildup of film and dirt on its facets. Cloudy diamonds can also have diminished transparency from inclusions or other characteristics intrinsic to the crystal from which they are cut.
An ideal cut diamond shows only a few intensely bright flashes in direct sunlight. A diamond that actually looks good in sunlight splits those few flashes up into ten or twenty smaller sparkles.
While diamonds don't lose their sparkle, they do tend to get dirty. Use the following tips to keep your diamonds brilliant and clean: Clean your ring regularly. The best way to make sure your diamond is nice and shiny is to clean it at least once a week with a mixture of water and mild dish soap.
The first step is to check for any inclusion on the stone with your bare eyes. If you're unable to see any inclusions with your bare eyes, then use a magnifying glass of at least 10X magnification to find out if the gemstone contains any inclusions. If you found any, then they are real gemstones.
There is nothing that can scratch a diamond except another diamond. A mineral like talc, on the other hand, is a 1 on the scale. You could scratch it with any hard material, even your fingernail. Natural talc is one of the softest minerals in the world.
Purchase a cheap piece of corundum or buy a mineral testing kit that includes corundum. Hold the corundum firmly against a table and scrape the suspected diamond against the corundum. If it creates a visible scratch, the crystal is a diamond. If it doesn't create a scratch, then it is a different mineral.