How to Detect Fake Diamonds

While diamonds have many advantages--rarity, durability, color refraction, and low reactivity to chemicals--they are not perfect stones. One big disadvantage is their propensity to cleavage; a sharp blow at an angle from a given direction will cause the diamond to fragment or shatter. Another disadvantage is that because they're so expensive and rare, they are widely imitated--sometimes so well that it's difficult to determine fakes from the real ones. Using the tactics below you can easily spot a fake.

Instructions

1

Set an unmounted diamond on top of a newspaper. Look down at it. With a real diamond, you shouldn't be able to see through to any of the typed print, not even black smudges. Real diamonds have such elaborate interiors that light simply cannot pass through it all the way.

2

Rub your diamond aggressively against wet or dry sandpaper. According to Amethyst Galleries, Inc.'s website, "It is well known that Diamond is the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that Diamond is four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum (sapphire and ruby)." A real diamond will not get scratched no matter how hard you rub it.

3

Examine the diamond from the top and then from the sides. A real diamond will display a dazzling luminescence from very angle. Oftentimes fakes will be designed to sparkle only from the very top and will have a remarkable lack of luster, shine and glitter from the sides.