How to Easily Know if a Diamond is Fake

If you have an old diamond ring, earrings or other piece of jewelry, you may wonder if the diamond is authentic. You could take it to a jeweler for an appraisal, but often a quick at-home test can satisfy your curiosity. Most of the common methods of doing this can be conducted in minutes, with no special tools needed.

Instructions

1

Breathe on your diamond. If the diamond becomes foggy and doesn't clear by the time you stop to look at it, it is a fake. A real diamond will clear up within the second it takes to stop breathing on it and inspect it. Fake diamonds will often stay foggy for a few seconds, or longer.

2

Try the glass test if you're not concerned with causing damage to a fake stone. A real diamond will be able to cut glass without ever causing damage to the diamond. You can scratch a small piece of glass, or even do it on the corner of an old mirror. If the diamond is scratched in any way, it's usually fake. Be warned, however, that some quality cubic zirconias can also scratch glass.

3

Look at reflection colors in diamonds. Many people do not realize it, but the reflection colors in diamonds are always only shades of gray. If your diamond reflects different colors, especially a rainbow affect, it is fake.

4

Try the transparency test. Place the diamond close to a newspaper and see if you can see lettering through the diamond. If so, it is not the genuine article.