Seasoned diamond buyers can readily spot fake gems, but most other people can’t. While synthetic gems don’t have the same properties as real ones, they can look very similar, which is why it may be hard for you to tell one from the other. To know if the jewelry you own is the real deal, below are a few methods to test its authenticity.  

How to Verify a Diamond’s Authenticity

1. Do the Fog Test

The simplest way to check is to breathe warm air on the diamond, as you would a mirror. If it stays fogged for more than two seconds, then what you have isn’t genuine. A real diamond doesn’t retain heat, causing condensation from the hot, moist air to dissipate quickly.

2. Check if It Floats

The water test for diamonds only applies to loose ones, so if you have a mounted stone, this won’t work. For this scenario, drop the gem into a glass of water and observe it. Does it float or sink to the bottom? If the latter happens, then you have a genuine stone because of the inherent high density of diamonds.

3. Heat It Up

Real diamonds can hold out against extremely high levels of heat, thanks to their composition. Hold the loose stone using tweezers or fireproof gloves and heat it with a lighter or candle for 30 to 45 seconds. Once the time’s up, drop it in icy water. Did it break or shatter? If it did, then you have a fake stone made of cubic zirconia, glass, or quartz that cannot withstand the shock from temperature change.

4. Use a Magnifying Glass or Newspaper

Diamond buyers swear by their loupes, a small magnification device with a conical lens frame to see minute details better. However, if you don’t have one, you can use a magnifying glass to look for natural imperfections, like mineral particles or subtle color changes, that come with most real gemstones.

Another test you can do is to place the diamond, flat side down, on a letter-filled newspaper page. If you can see the letters, you likely have a fake because of its inability to bend and refract light, which is a characteristic of real diamonds. 

5. Place It Under Black Light

It’s not unusual to see diamond buyers use UV or black light to check for authenticity. When placed underneath a UV lamp, most diamonds give a bluish fluorescent glow. However, this test isn’t conclusive, as some stones fail to emit such fluorescence.

Above are some of the many ways to check if a diamond is genuine or otherwise. It also pays to visit a trusted diamond buyer like American Trading Company in Cincinnati, OH, for a second opinion. For over five decades, they’ve offered pawns and cash loans for high-quality goods, such as rare coins, jewelry, and antique guns. Learn more about their cash for scrap jewelry and gemstones by calling (513) 661-3633 for their Harrison Avenue location or (513) 385-6789 for their Galbraith Road location today. Visit them online for more information.