How to know real from fake diamonds?

[mcdpoor]

My daughter with special needs and myself detected today and found our normal clad collection of 43 coins, We also found 2 ear rings.. One is marked silver and has a cross on it.. Not to far away we found a ?diamond stud ear ring. It is not marked and seems to be a cheap setting.. But it is probably a half carrot and was just wandering an easy way to know if it is fake.. I hate to take it to a jeweler and made to look stupid..
Thanks Mcdpoor and Becki

 

[flash5153]

I know how you feel. I have several myself. Some jewelers have a hard time telling a real diamond from CZ without having a diamond testing device.

But you probally already know, if its in a bad setting it is more than likly not a diamond.

I cant help you much, acually I will follow this post to see if any can help me too. But I do know that it was uncommon in the old days to set diamonds in silver. But as of late it is becoming much,much more common to do this.

IMO an ear ring is much tougher ,for an novice,to figure out if a diamond. There's is not much there to look at for quality and the settings usually look pretty good. A smaller stone would be more likly.

Here's 2 silver and 1 gold that I dont have a clue about.(Except that they are so big I have big doubts.)

Good Luck

 

[Bugar In. USA]

I have my Diamonds/ stones, checked by 2 different jewelers, one -a newie jeweler, uses a diamond checking device, the other jeweler=an old timer, looks at them thru his loupe, told me a REAL diamond-the facet edges are sharp edges, on imitation or not real diamonds, the edge shows a white or shiny edge=not sharp, he is always right to my knowledge, told me I could check them myself with a loupe, or very powerful magnifying glass, just check for sharp edge and not a white or shiny edge/gotta be sharp, and thaat's what the Geezer doeswhenever I find something like that anyway

 

[John-Edmonton]

Don't worry about looking stupid. Asking questions is how all of us gain knowledge. Any jeweller that laughed at you OR referred you as being stupid is a complete fool and idiot. People don't build successful businesses treating potential customers that way. I say take your daughter in with you and have HER ask the jeweller.

 

[Uncle Willy]

See if it will scratch glass - like a mirror. Course CZ's are far enough up on the hardness scale to scratch glass. But if it won't scratch you'll know it is neither. And a lot of guys take their stuff to a jeweler for ID. But if it's not marked and cheap looking it probably is.

Bill

 

[TURNMASTER]

A Diamond can be damaged by trying to cut or scratch glass.. Do not do it!!!

A CZ can be determined by sight under an eye loup or a microscope, by an experienced eye.
A natural diamond and a synthetic stone may be segregated by an experienced jeweler by eye --- sometimes. The issue there being a synthetic stone can be passed of as a clear natural stone.
It is my understanding that a diamond testing device is the best way to tell the difference between synthetic and natural.

Jewelers tell me that a natural stone will typically carry a higher value than its man made cousin, even though the synthetic stone will usually be clearer and closer to "perfect".

A synthetic is darn near chemically identical to a natural. The impurities are what give the natural its color and/or the inclusions which you will see in yours or your wife's diamonds.

I got most of my knowledge on this topic from my wife the was a jeweler. (many years)

Hope you found a keeper!
Jeff

 

[khouse]

Any piece of glass clear or colored in any piece of jewelry I find is a precious stone. At least that what I say in my head! For sure if you don't take it to a jeweler it is REAL!

 

[Uncle Willy]

Then I've ruined a lot of diamonds.

Bill

 

[khouse]

You may have Bill! Even those painted plastic jewels set in chrome plated plastic settings are really real. These are really worth a lot of $$$$$

 

[mcdpoor]

Thank you all on your advise on our DIAMOND situation....I think I will put in the cool stuff jewerly baggie and maybe latter when my daughter wants we will take it in an have them look at the possible pile for that bag.. Besides Becki's eyes from her wheelchair when I handed it to her made it real enough to us.
Again thanks all
mcdpoor and Becki

 

[TURNMASTER]

Thank you all on your advise on our DIAMOND situation....I think I will put in the cool stuff jewerly baggie and maybe latter when my daughter wants we will take it in an have them look at the possible pile for that bag.. Besides Becki's eyes from her wheelchair when I handed it to her made it real enough to us.
Again thanks all
mcdpoor and Becki

and there is the real treasure
Jeff

 

[khouse]

That's what I'm talking about!

 

[Adrian SS]

n/t

 

[Adrian SS]

It is not a simple task for the un-trained eye to positively identify a diamond, a great many books have been written about this topic. It is better to take your stone to a trained jeweller/Gemmologist.

However here are a few clues you can look for, but first arm yourself with a good quality 10 power loupe and bright light.

1. Look for very flat facets and exact facet meeting points (diamond cutters are precise) diamond facets are dead flat with exact meeting points and the facet edges are extremely sharp (not easy for the untrained eye to recognise) and straight (not diagnostic but is indicative) whereas other stones have rounded facet edges which often show chipping.
2. Diamond has a good play of colour and the stone appears bright when viewed through the crown (top). If the play of colour is dazzling with lots of rainbow colours then the stone is likely to NOT be diamond.
3. If the stone is set in a closed setting, the stone may not be diamond.
4. If when you wear the ring you can see your finger through the stone then it is not diamond (for round brilliant cut only). Some shallow cut stones may allow some light through.
5. Look for BEARDING around the girdle (largest diameter facet edge) these are tiny cracks running around the girdle at approx 90 degrees to the girdle edge and only appear on diamond that does not have a polished girdle (diagnostic).
6. If you can see tiny triangular shapes on the girdle (trigons) these are diagnostic.
7. The girdle often has a satin like finish (not diagnostic but indicative) and most imitations have a polished girdle however so do some high qual larger diamonds.
8. Look for inclusions that are tiny black spots or clusters, clear or reddish brown crystals (not diagnostic but very indicative)
9. Diamond is extremely hard at 10 on a scale of one to ten with Talc being one and there being a ten times difference in hardness between each level so 2 is ten times harder than 1 and so on.
10. Diamond will scratch everything in nature but I am not telling you how to do a hardness test because you could bugger the stone and then you would blame me. Quartz and glass has a waxy look and feel, CZ can actually look brighter and more firery with a greater play of colour than diamond, a strong play of colour is always very sus. Grease sticks to diamond like sh---t to a blanket, water runs of very freely. If you breath on a diamond it will demist very quickly.
Don

 

[Uncle Willy]

I have my share of those gems.

Bill

 

[PennyFinder]

Funny nobody has mentioned fluorescence, this is a good read.

http://www.diamond.info/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t2021.html

PennyFinder

 

[Adrian SS]

HI Pennyfinder,
I did not go into fluorescence because it is very unreliable and I figured that very few detectorists would have a UV light.
UV reactions can be an aid where you are looking at an item that contains several stones but as I said it is unreliable for the novice because there are a great many diamonds that do not light up under UV light plus the light has to be of the correct wavelength for it to be of any use.
if anybody wants to study diamonds and their reactions to UV light then I suggest that they obtain the correct type of lamp from a gemmologist instrument supply outlet and a book about the different types of diamond that explains why some diamonds fluoresc and others do not.

Adrian SS