HOW TO RECOGNIZE A DIAMOND?

In the world of jewelry, the diamond is the most standardized stone. Indeed, several variables come into play in the evaluation of its value and rarity such as its color, size, purity and weight which will ultimately determine the price of the stone and therefore, of the jewel. This stone so coveted and appreciated is often imitated. Therefore, there are methods to recognize a real diamond from a fake, which will vary if the diamond is mounted on a jewel or if it is alone or if it is rough.

Recognizing a diamond mounted on a jewel

Recognizing a diamond mounted on a jewel is not an easy task. Indeed, it is complicated to check its refraction because the light does not pass through it as well as when it is alone. However, whether it is mounted on a ring, a necklace, a bracelet or earrings, there are several appropriate techniques to recognize it.

First of all, before any handling, make sure that your diamond is well cleaned and does not contain any dust or fingerprints.

The fog

Fog is an effective way to recognize a fake diamond from a real one. In fact, on a diamond, fog dissipates quickly or even immediately, while on another stone, it will remain a little longer.

The light

The diamond has a quality of its own: the reflection of light. Indeed, in the sun, a diamond strongly reflects white light because the diamond reflects light. However, if this stone does not shine in the sun or in front of a light source, this does not necessarily mean that it is not a diamond, because it may be a diamond of a lower quality but it is obvious that questions could arise about it.

Use a magnifying glass

The magnifying glass allows you to distinguish details that are not visible to the naked eye. For most stones, it is advisable to look at their characteristics with a magnifying glass in order to check several elements and characteristics of the stones. If your stone has scratches, scrapes or abrasions, then it is not a diamond because the latter does not scratch.

Recognizing a single diamond

A loose diamond is easier to recognize. Indeed, there are more meticulous techniques to determine the nature of your stone.

 

Use a glass of water

Fill a glass with water and put your stone in it. If your stone floats, it means it is not a diamond.

Check under the microscope

As with a diamond set in jewelry, inspect your stone with a loupe for imperfections, flaws, or scratches. If it does, then your stone is not a diamond. Also, check the edges of your stone. If it has rounded or sharp edges instead of the pointed ones it had when it was originally set, then it is likely a fake diamond or other stone. This is because a diamond has sharp, smooth, and scratch-free edges.

Test the hardness of your diamond by scratching glass

Diamonds are the hardest stones. So, this stone is capable of scratching other materials such as glass. So, take some glass, scratch it with your diamond. If the glass scratches, then it is a diamond, otherwise it will be another stone. Moreover, diamond is an important gemstone. So, it will weigh more than other gemstones.

 

Mirror test: check that you can't see through the diamond 

Diamond is not transparent. In fact, it has a high refractive index that allows it to reflect light on all its facets, which then contributes to its brilliance. If your stone is not set, you can try the experiment with a mirror or a sheet of paper and a pencil. To do this, take a pencil, draw a line and place the stone on top. If you can see your line through it, then it is not a diamond…

 

Ask a certified jeweler or diamond dealer for advice

You can then check the authenticity of your diamond at home, but if you want to use expert advice to avoid mistakes, we advise you to go directly to a certified jeweler or diamond expert who will put his skills and experience at the service of your request. From then on, with a microscope or a magnifying glass, in a laboratory or not, he will be able to attest to the specific characteristics of your stone.

Indeed, being one of the most coveted gemstones, many scams exist on the diamond market. It is then necessary to be careful of fraud.

To do this, pay special attention to the color of your diamond. Indeed, when the stone has brownish colors or dirt colors, sellers come to color the culet or lacquers blue to give the stone a diamond appearance. Then, some will play on the purity of the diamond by using lasers to remove impurities or drill holes that can be found in the stone in order to increase the refractive index of the stone to make it shine and give it the appearance of a natural diamond.

Buying a diamond from a certified diamond dealer

If you want to avoid these doubts and questions, we advise you to buy a diamond from a certified diamond dealer who will provide you with the certificate of authenticity of your stone, including all the technical characteristics of the latter (weight, colors, purity, as well as its size), its origin, its laboratory, etc.

This certificate is unique and universal. It is the “identity card” of your laboratory-worked gemstone.

Synthetic diamonds

In recent years, synthetic diamonds have evolved a lot. Called synthetic diamonds or "cultured" diamonds, this stone has the same characteristics as natural diamonds, with the only difference being that they are produced in a laboratory and natural diamonds are extracted from mines and are therefore, therefore, a product of nature. In other words, the only difference between natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds is their place of birth, but they do not have any differences in their technical characteristics.

The production of natural diamonds is concentrated in six countries around the world. This natural and exhaustible resource sees its price increase each year due to extraction methods that have become much more respectful of humans and the environment. Thus, as demand continues to increase, the price of natural diamonds also increases.

Synthetic diamonds are considered to be real diamonds that challenge natural diamonds. Indeed, cheaper and inexhaustible, these diamonds are the fruit of human labor. Produced in the laboratory, the characteristics of these diamonds are similar to natural ones and cannot be differentiated with the naked eye. Indeed, its chemical composition, its crystalline structure as well as its optical properties are identical to natural diamonds. Therefore, it is complicated to differentiate them but you can always do the fog test on your stone because normally, the fog disappears less quickly on a synthetic stone than a natural stone.

Natural and synthetic diamonds should not be confused, just as synthetic diamonds should not be confused with fake diamonds. In fact, natural and synthetic diamonds have the same composition and the same technical characteristics, while fake diamonds have a completely different composition from synthetic diamonds. In fact, to imitate diamonds, fraudsters use all sorts of materials such as glass, zircon, cubic zirconium oxide or even moissanite, a new imitation of diamonds introduced on the market since 1999.

Maison Bäumer does not use synthetic diamonds and sets all of its jewelry with natural diamonds from ethical and responsible production. If you want to make a custom-made piece of jewelry (ring, earrings, necklace, or bracelet), at Bäumer Vendôme, you can choose your stones, especially for your engagement ring.