Girdles Can Reflect in a Diamond If you look at the side of your diamond and see a line across it, about ⅔ of the way down, don't panic. It's most likely a girdle reflection. Because of how light moves through a diamond, light that enters through the girdle will usually come out through the pavilion.
Grain lines are created by irregular crystallization that takes place when a diamond is formed. All diamonds have graining. A diamond that is graded “Internally Flawless” can have internal graining and, as long as it is transparent, will not affect the clarity grade unless they are present in large masses.
The genuine diamond will have some internal or external flaws, known as inclusions. If the other stone is cubic zirconia or moissanite, it will have no internal flaws, and probably no external flaws either.
Usually the dirt and grease that accumulated under the diamond causing it to refract less of the light through it and hence it appears darker than what it looked originally like . Another reason is the metal underneath the diamond loses the rhodium polish . The darker metal causes the diamond to appear dark .
How to tell if your diamond is real using a magnifying glass. Using a magnifying glass, hold up your diamond and look for imperfections within the stone. If you're unable to find any, then it is most likely fake — a majority of real diamonds will have flaws, which are referred to as inclusions.
Fair/Poor Grade Diamond Examples
Fair and Poor cut diamonds usually have steep crowns and steep pavilion angles which gives them a really dark looking appearance. This makes them look extremely small for their carat weight. Because of their abysmal proportions, their brilliance and sparkle are horribly affected.
The way that diamonds reflect light is unique: the inside of a real diamond should sparkle gray and white while the outside should reflect a rainbow of colors onto other surfaces. A fake diamond, on the other hand, will have rainbow colors that you can see inside the diamond as well.
Water Test
If you have a loose diamond to test, fill a regular glass about ¾ of the way full with water. Gently drop the diamond into the glass. If the diamond sinks to the bottom, it's real. If it floats at the surface or just underneath, it's likely a fake.
Diamond Clarity Gets Worse Over Time
The only way diamond clarity can decrease over time is if the diamond is subjected to chipping or breaking. Inclusions inside the diamond are internal flaws, and do not change over time. The inclusions remain as they are, or they can be improved through diamond treatments.
Many begin as gray, heavily included and fractured diamonds that are subjected to high-temperature/low-pressure treatment, which graphitizes the fractures, turning them black. Artificial irradiation of off-color diamonds can also produce a green so dark the diamond appears black.
As straightforward as it sounds, fill a glass of water at home to roughly three-quarters full. Separate the stone so that it is loose, and drop it into the water. Diamonds are highly dense and a genuine gem will sink to the bottom – every time. If it hovers to the surface or only partially sinks, then it is a replica.
Although most black diamonds on the market today are either superheated or irradiated to an almost black color, natural black diamonds do exist, though they are extremely rare. Carbonados, sometimes called "black diamonds," are a distinct and unusual polycrystalline diamond material.
Many believe that the transparent line that runs straight through the diamond, which is visible only at some angles, is a big crack. Fortunately, this is probably not the case. The “crack” is a reflection from the diamond's girdle and is a so-called girdle reflection.
Internal graining can appear like whitish, colored or reflective lines. Depending on the severity, they can also look like creases or give the diamond a hazy appearance.
A fake diamond will have rainbow colors that you can see inside the diamond. “People have a misconception that diamonds sparkle like a rainbow, but they don't,” Hirsch said. “They do sparkle, but it's more of a gray color.
Visit A Trusted Jeweler
Many jewelers will appraise your stone free of charge and experts will often be able to tell immediately if your diamond is authentic or not. If your stone came with a certificate, your jeweler should be happy to take a look at it and tell you whether it is from a trustworthy source.
By holding a diamond close to a source of light, such as a flashlight, you can tell whether or not it's real. Watch closely for the shimmers of light that shine from the stone. A real diamond will reflect light easily, and provide you with a disco ball or rainbow-like display.
A green, yellow, or gray glow usually means that the diamond is fake. If you don't see a noticeable glow or find that the color is very faint, the test is inconclusive. This is not a foolproof way to identify a fake diamond, so you should pair this test with several others for more informative results.
Place the gemstones in a glass of water and watch. If it floats, then it is probably a fake stone. Real diamonds will sink to the bottom of the glass, while cubic zirconia will float to the surface.
The free 4Cs app for Android is downloadable in English and Simplified Chinese. The GIA app is also available for iOS. A retailer version, designed for use at point of sale, is downloadable for free from GIA's retailer support site www.retailer.gia.edu.
Genuine diamonds do not sparkle in rainbow colors inside of the stone. Instead, the inside of real diamonds sparkles in tones white and gray. The play on light in the diamond is brilliance. One factor that determines a diamond's level of brilliance is the cut.
Diamonds are dense and will sink quickly, while certain imitations will sink more slowly. If your gem doesn't immediately sink to the bottom, it's likely a glass or quartz imitation. However, other imitations, including cubic zirconia, will also sink quickly.
There is nothing that can scratch a diamond except another diamond. A mineral like talc, on the other hand, is a 1 on the scale. You could scratch it with any hard material, even your fingernail. Natural talc is one of the softest minerals in the world.
Hardness may vary in fake diamonds, but it's not as hard as natural diamonds. Natural diamonds can cut the glass. Fake diamonds cannot cut the glass, but some scratches can be made.