How to recognize a diamond on a ring?
In the world of luxury jewelry , it's not always easy to know what you're dealing with. Whether it's precious metals or stones , how can you tell the real thing from the fake? This is especially true for diamonds, which can be imitated or substituted with much more vulgar stones. Today, we offer you some simple tips to help you distinguish between a real and a fake diamond on a ring , necklace, earrings, etc. By the end of the article, you'll know how to recognize a diamond .
What fake diamonds can be found in rings, earrings, etc.?
The term fake diamonds refers to several types of stones that are sometimes mistakenly confused with diamonds due to their similarities. Here are the most common:
- Zirconium oxide (zirconia)
- Moissanite
- White sapphire
- Spinel
- Glass
- Rutile
Here are some ways to distinguish these stones from real diamonds. The techniques for recognizing a real diamond from a fake on a ring , earrings, or necklace are identical.
How to recognize a real diamond on a ring using a magnifying glass
Diamonds without any imperfections are extremely rare. It's unlikely you'll ever get the chance to own one. Examining a diamond under a magnifying glass helps ensure its authenticity . If you can't see any imperfections, chances are it's a synthetic diamond or a worthless stone.
The heat test
Diamonds have their own thermal properties, namely a low contact temperature . In short, at room temperature a diamond feels cold (just as a metal plate at 50° feels much hotter than a piece of wood at the same temperature). If you put the tip of your tongue on the diamond and it feels cold, it must be a real one. If it feels warm, it's probably zirconia or something else.
The fog test to recognize a real diamond
Exhale air from your mouth onto the diamond, as you would to fog a window. A real diamond should not fog up.
The sandpaper test
It is well known that diamonds are eternal. They are one of the hardest materials on the planet, and are used in many machines that are used for cutting, polishing, planing, etc. You can therefore rub the diamond in your ring with sandpaper. If it is authentic, it will come out intact from this mistreatment... If it scratches, it is a substitute stone. Be careful, if it is a synthetic diamond, this test will not work, since the latter is as hard, if not harder, than a natural diamond.
The Mini Flashlight Test
Using a pen-style flashlight, shine a light on the stone. In a diamond, you should not see the rainbow prism; it should appear outside of it. In many fake diamonds , such as moissanite, the rainbow colors appear within the stone itself.
The water test
Since diamonds have a higher density than water, they should not float. If a stone floats, it is not a real diamond. This test can only be performed if the stone is not set in jewelry, of course.
Also read:
- The 4Cs of Diamonds
- How much does a 1 carat diamond cost?
How to recognize a natural diamond from a synthetic diamond?
Is a synthetic diamond real or not ? The answer will vary depending on who you ask. Some believe that only natural diamonds are authentic, while others do not.
The difference between a natural diamond and a lab-grown diamond is not easily discernible, even with a jewelry loupe. Natural diamonds contain small amounts of nitrogen, while lab-grown diamonds do not. Gemologists use this criterion to identify whether a diamond is lab-grown or natural.
A diamond's certificate of authenticity: to dispel doubts
The easiest way is obviously to have the diamond's certificate of authenticity in your possession. It accompanies all self-respecting luxury jewelry. For antique jewelry, a certificate of authenticity can be ordered from a gemologist to reassure buyers.
A ring with a genuine diamond? Nothing like an expert to be sure
Do you have a diamond jewel and want to ensure its authenticity? The safest option remains an appraisal . Miller jewelry, a specialist in antique and second-hand jewelry in Paris, will be able to appraise any piece of jewelry, whether it is diamond or not.
When we talk about precious stones, diamonds , emeralds, and real rubies immediately come to mind. And it's true that these are very valuable stones. But there are even rarer and more valuable things. These precious stones are so rare that they exist in very limited numbers, which makes their value higher than emeralds, for example. Here is a list of the most expensive precious stones in the world.
Lesser-known, but highly valuable, gemstones
There are over 4,000 types of stones lying deep within the Earth; even geologists will only encounter a small fraction of this assortment in the course of their work. Thanks to the magic of nature, some stones are extremely rare. They have always been coveted for their beauty, sometimes even sacred. For more mundane reasons, precious stones continue to fascinate today. Here is a ranking of the most expensive stones in the world at the time of writing.
Blue Diamond
The most sought-after gemstones are colored diamonds . Diamonds, the April birthstone, are not only extremely rare, but they also possess spectacular brilliance and unparalleled hardness. Add to this rarity the marketing that goes into this stone, and you can see why colored diamonds are the most expensive gemstones in the world. Currently, a blue diamond holds the record for price per carat. The Oppenheimer Blue sold for $57.5 million. Based on the total price, another colored diamond holds the record, the Pink Star ($71.2 million).
Musgravite
The wonders of the Earth are such that new stones can still be discovered today. Musgravite is one of the more recent discoveries in this field: it was only in 1993 that a specimen of appreciable size was found. Today, the number of musgravites likely to lead to the creation of a piece of jewelry can be counted on the fingers of one hand. This rarity explains the extremely high price of this precious stone: it costs around $35,000 per carat.
Jadeite
Jadeite is the most beautiful, rarest, and therefore most expensive variety of jade. It comes in various colors (lavender, mauve, apple green, etc.), but the most sought-after Imperial Jade tone, similar to emerald, is the most sought-after. The finest examples of jadeite are found in Cambodia. In some civilizations, such as the Aztecs and Mayans, jadeite was considered more precious than gold. And when you consider the Mesoamerican peoples' taste for the yellow metal, you can understand how much they valued jadeite, which today sells for up to $20,000 per carat.
Alexandrite
Alexandrite is another very rare gemstone and very difficult to acquire, even if you pay $12,000 per carat. This stone stands out from its peers due to its incredible optical properties. Depending on the lighting conditions, the stone changes color dramatically, whether in intensity or angle, from green to red. This stone was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in the early 19th century. It was named after Alexander II , the future Tsar.
Red Beryl
Red beryl , also known as red emerald, is a very rare variety of beryl that ranges in color from raspberry to deep red. Despite its nickname, it is not an emerald. Red beryl was discovered in 1904 by a man named Bixby. To date, only one place on the planet is known to have it in its bowels, namely the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah. Red beryl is so rare that it is estimated that there are 8,000 times more rubies in the Earth's crust! This explains why this stone, regardless of its quality, commands a high price. Around $10,000 per carat.
Padparadscha Sapphire
Padparadscha is the rarest and most expensive variety of sapphire in the world. It is characterized by a beautiful orange color with shades somewhere between ruby and yellow sapphire. Most Padparadscha sapphires are found in Sri Lanka, but they can also be found in Tanzania and Madagascar. Gemstones discovered in the latter country are pink, and therefore less sought after. This sapphire sells for around $8,000 per carat.
Benitoite
Considered one of the world's most beautiful gemstones, benitoite boasts an atypical blue color and a dispersion coefficient higher than that of a diamond. As its name suggests, it was first discovered in the San Benito River in California. However, its remarkable dispersion can be masked by the intensity of its blue. Benitoite enthusiasts are therefore faced with a choice:
- Choose a less intense blue to take advantage of its dispersion
- Opt for the intensity of blue at the expense of dispersion
Black opal
Black opal is a gemstone found primarily in New South Wales, Australia. It is particularly spectacular against a black background, when it displays all its subtle shades of color within. This stone is very valuable, but it has the disadvantage of being very fragile due to its sensitivity to shocks and temperature fluctuations.
Demantoid
Demantoid is a gemstone from the garnet family whose luster is reminiscent of diamonds. In fact, its brilliance and dispersion are superior to those of diamonds . It is in its emerald green form that it is most valuable. Unfortunately, it is very rare to find it in large stones: demantoids rarely exceed 2 carats. It was first discovered in 19th century Russia by a Finnish-Swedish mineralogist, Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld. Given the rarity of this stone, demantoid jewelry is often antique jewelry .
Taaffeite
You may never have heard of taaffeite . It's nothing to be ashamed of; it's an extremely rare light purple stone. So rare, in fact, that it's estimated that there are 1 million times fewer taaffeites than diamonds! Its name is derived from its first discoverer in 1945, Richard Taaffe . He didn't make his discovery in a mine or on a riverbed: it was in a jewelry store that his find took place. While observing a spinel jewel, the geologist noticed that the stone displayed different properties, particularly in terms of light refraction. Taaffeites are mainly found in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Not only is this gemstone rare, but examples suitable for cutting are even rarer.
FAQ how to recognize a diamond on a ring
You can use fogging, heat, and sandpaper techniques to determine if a rough contains a diamond. See details above.
All the tests mentioned above, except for the transparency test, also allow you to recognize if a black diamond is authentic.
You can evaluate the diamond set in a ring using heat, fog and abrasion tests.
