People find all sorts of things while outside taking a walk, in an airport, parking lot, municipal building, park, in the cushions of furniture, etc. Sometimes you may see a shiny object and stop and pick it up. You may want to immediately determine if the shiny stone you just stumbled upon is a real diamond or merely a rhinestone, synthetic, Cubic Zirconia or glass. While the best way and most accurate way to determine if it may be a genuine diamond are to bring it into a diamond buyer in Chicago at Chicago Gold Gallery, but you can try some of these just for your own edification. Keep in mind these and most homegrown DIY test are not to be the final answer, the best and only way is to have one of the gemologists on our staff evaluate it to determine it’s value.
Easy tricks to determine if a diamond is real before bringing it to us to actually determine the value:
Maybe you have a family heirloom that includes what appears to be a diamond, or you’ve just received a diamond ring and you want to verify that the diamond is real, or as mentioned above you found what looks to be a diamond. This is a task only a qualified gemologist can really determine and our G.I.A. certified diamond buyers in Chicago can complete, It’s a common misconception that there is only one type of fake or synthetic diamond, but there are multiple diamond substitutes on the market, some like Moissanite can even fool regular diamond testing equipment so they would need to be tested on a moissanite detecter.
The Line Test
Get a lined sheet of paper and place the object face down on the line with the culet (pointed end) facing up. If you see the line make a curve on both sides of the line it is more than likely the diamond is not genuine. If the line curves only on one side then it may be genuine and you should bring it in for further verification. Keep in mind bringing it into a professional jewelry buyer in Chicago at Chicago Gold Gallery is the best way to know.
The Fog Test
Simply place the diamond in front of your mouth and fog it up with your breath. Real diamonds don’t easily fog up because the condensation doesn’t stick to its surface. Fake diamonds will keep the fog for at least a few seconds after you breathe on it. But again temperature conditions in the room that you are performing these homegrown tests play a factor in the results.
The Water Test
Another easy, simple test is to fill a glass with water and drop the diamond into it. Real diamonds are naturally dense, so they will sink to the bottom of the glass. Fake diamonds will either float or sink partially to the middle of the glass.
The Magnifying Glass Test
Another simple, at-home test that you can complete with your diamond includes utilizing a magnifying glass. Inspect the diamond through the glass and check for any imperfections in the stone, referred to as inclusions. Real diamonds have these imperfections. Fake, manufactured diamonds often look too good to be true, which they are, but damage like a chip or scratch to a synthetic item can appear to look like inclusion and still must be verified by a professional. So if you do find yourself in possession of an item that was found or given to you that appears to be a diamond you can try these home tips for fun before turning them in to lost and found or selling them but our diamond buyers in Chicago are happy to help you determine whether or not your diamond is real and provide you with top-dollar for your it as well as your coins, jewelry, collectibles and other valuables.
Please stop in or call us at 773-338-7787 if you have questions!<