Is it possible to distinguish a grown diamond from a real one?

Diamond jewelry is a jewelry classic. Unfortunately, owners of such products often have questions about the authenticity of the stones. For example, if a ring or earrings were given without tags. Or, if you purchased them yourself, but for a suspiciously low price. Is it possible to independently check the authenticity of a diamond at home? Let’s try to understand this material.

What can a natural diamond be confused with?

• Cubic zirconia (zircon). Artificial stone, zirconium dioxide. It was invented by scientists from the Physical Institute of the Academy of Sciences. Lebedev (FIAN) for laser equipment, but since the 90s of the XNUMXth century it has gained great popularity in the jewelry industry. Visually very similar to a diamond.
• Moissanite (silicon carbide). The stone is found in nature, but only artificially grown ones are used in the jewelry industry. Active production of moissanite began in the 80s of the XNUMXth century. The stone has a brighter shine than a diamond.
• Rhinestone. Natural stone, natural silicon dioxide. Used to make jewelry and arts and crafts.
• Artificial diamond. A complete analogue of a natural diamond from a chemical point of view, but grown in laboratory conditions.

How to determine whether a diamond in jewelry is real or fake

It is rare that unset stones fall into the hands of ordinary people. Most often we are talking about checking the insert in a ring, earrings or other jewelry. There are several ways to test a stone.

Check with water or oil

You need to drop a drop of water or vegetable oil onto the surface of the stone (for example, this can be done by wetting a toothpick). Then you need to try to separate the drop with a needle or toothpick.

• If the drop scatters into smaller ones, there is a high probability that the frame is framed with cubic zirconia, moissanite or crystal.
• If the liquid remains a single drop, you have a diamond (natural or artificial) or moissanite with a special diamond coating.

Breath check

The method is based on the different thermal conductivities of diamonds and their analogues. To test, you need to breathe on the stone. If after several exhalations it becomes covered with condensation, you have cubic zirconia, moissanite or crystal. If the surface of the stone remains dry and does not fog up, there is a diamond (natural or artificial) in the setting.

Pay attention! Thermal conductivity testing is the only option that you can potentially use outside the home, such as in a store or pawn shop, to check the authenticity of a diamond.

Ultraviolet testing: not very reliable

You can find information that by placing a stone under an ultraviolet lamp, you can determine whether this is a real diamond or an analogue. The first thing that is important to know is that natural diamonds can have varying degrees of fluorescence: from bright to completely absent. If you have a luminous stone in front of you, pay attention to the color of the glow: in a natural diamond it will often have a blue tint, less often green or yellow. Moissanite gives an orange-red glow, other stones give a gray one.

Rice. 1. Various options for natural diamonds to glow under ultraviolet light

It is worth noting that luminous natural diamonds are very popular in the USA, so most of the fluorescent stones go to America. As for artificial diamonds, they usually glow under UV, but unlike natural ones, they do not go out immediately, but can glow for up to a minute after the lamp is turned off.

Hardness test: why it no longer works

Diamonds are notoriously hard, so you may hear recommendations to scratch the stone with something hard (such as a diamond-tipped tool). In this way, it is really possible to damage cubic zirconia, but not moissanite, since in recent years the technology of covering them with a super-thin diamond film (CVD technology) has been almost universally used. As for man-made diamonds, they will pass the test with the same ease as their natural counterparts.

Pay attention! We do not recommend testing diamonds for authenticity this way because you may damage the stone if it turns out to be fake.

Where to buy diamond jewelry so as not to worry about the authenticity of the stones

To summarize, let’s say that the only guaranteed way not to make a mistake with a stone is to purchase jewelry only in trusted stores and with diamond certificates. No self-respecting organization will jeopardize its reputation by offering synthetic analogues under the guise of natural diamonds.

Our showroom offers a wide range of diamond jewelry: rings, earrings, bracelets, pendants and necklaces. You can be 100% sure of the quality and naturalness of the inserts: all jewelry has diamond certificates from the independent gemological center of Moscow State University. The certificate contains all the information about the stone: weight, cut shape, color group and clarity. The document must also indicate the number and link to the report from the laboratory.

Recently, a lot of jewelry with artificial diamonds has appeared in jewelry stores at ridiculous prices. An “artificial” stone may hide an ordinary crystal, cubic zirconia, or. What kinds of diamond substitutes there are, and how they differ from real ones, we will tell you in the article.

Moissanite

Moissanite is not a diamond, but just a substitute, albeit similar in its characteristics. Actually, moissanite is a space stone. It is formed when a meteorite collides with the earth and its dimensions are so small that sometimes they can only be seen through a microscope. Under the influence of high temperatures, silicon carbide is transformed into an incredibly rare stone – natural moissanite. You cannot buy jewelry with natural moissanite in a regular store. Externally, moissanite can be distinguished by its shine. Diamond glows
white light, and moissanite shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow. Typically, buyers are offered moissanite created in a laboratory. Outwardly, it looks like a diamond – a transparent, faceted stone, but has nothing in common with a diamond. What is the difference: When enlarged, the doubling is noticeable. Usually this effect is visible even through a jewelry loupe – the moissanite seems to split into two. Real diamonds do not have this effect. Moissanite creates a rainbow effect due to double refraction of light. When light passes through the stone, rainbow flashes appear. It looks like there’s a disco ball sparkling on your finger. Real diamonds have a single refraction and do not spark like that. The photo shows that the diamond has a glow
uniform and not as bright as moissanite. Moissanite cannot be classified on a 4 C scale. Real diamonds have many shades, while moissanites have almost no color. They cannot be classified by color. With magnification, tubular inclusions will be noticeable in moissanite – the stones simply will not pass the purity test. It’s the same with cutting—moissanites don’t polish as well as diamonds. When zoomed in, you can see that many of the edges are rounded. Real diamonds have clear, sharp edges. There are no curves or rainbow glow.

Fianit

Cubic zirconia or cubic zirconia is another imitation of a real diamond. Cubic zirconia is colorless and looks like a diamond to the untrained eye, but has nothing in common with it. Diamond is carbon, and cubic zirconia is zirconium dioxide. Different chemical compositions affect the physical and optical properties of a gemstone. If you put a diamond, moissanite
and cubic zirconia next to each other, the difference will be noticeable What is the difference: Cubic zirconia is softer and can be scratched if accidentally hit. The pure carbon from which lab-grown diamonds are made is considered the hardest substance on earth—10 on the Mohs scale—and is extremely strong and durable. Zirconium, on the other hand, has a hardness of only 8-8,5 points on the same scale – it can withstand daily wear, but if the stone is dropped, chips or scratches will appear on it. Cubic zirconia is sensitive to heat. Heating may cause it to become dull. Even simple cleaning of the apartment or washing the dishes can ruin the decoration. Many jewelers even refuse to repair or reduce jewelry with cfianite for fear of damaging the stone. Cubic zirconia is slightly denser than a real diamond, which means it is heavier. A cubic zirconia and a 1 carat lab diamond will differ in size – the cubic zirconia will be smaller. cubic zirconia is dimmer. The light dispersion of a grown diamond is 58% greater than that of cubic zirconia. Cubic zirconias do not sparkle so brightly in the sun, and over time they may even become cloudy. Real diamonds do not lose their shine, are not afraid of heat, and certainly will not get scratched if you accidentally drop the jewelry on the floor.

Rhinestone and Swarovski crystals

Crystals, unlike cubic zirconia, sparkle dazzlingly in the sun. But this shine is not the same as that of real diamonds – there is no depth of color, no play of sparks. Swarovski crystals are made from artificial crystal, the surface of which is coated with a special coating that gives the stones extraordinary shades. However, crystals have nothing in common with diamonds. They are fragile, scratch on hard surfaces and fade over time.

Grown diamonds

Laboratory diamonds are the only type of artificial diamonds identical to natural ones. These are the real diamonds that technologists grow in the laboratory. What are the similarities between natural and laboratory diamonds?

• Lab-created diamonds are carbon-based, just like natural diamonds. Moissanite, cubic zirconia and crystals are also made in the laboratory, but they do not contain carbon.
• The chemical, physical and optical properties of natural and laboratory diamonds are identical. Moissanite, cubic zirconia and crystals differ markedly in appearance, feel and hardness.
• Lab-grown and natural diamonds are graded according to the same standards. It is impossible to certify moissanite, cubic zirconia or crystal.

And moissanite, and cubic zirconia, and Swarovski crystals can be confused with diamonds – they are also transparent and sparkle in the sun. But they are not actually diamonds.

If you want to buy a worthy piece of jewelry with a perfect gemstone and an affordable price, choose laboratory-grown diamonds, the very gift that will stay with you FOREVER!