If a Diamond Can Scratch Glass, Does It Mean It’s Real?
It is true that diamonds can scratch glass. However, glass can also be scratched by anything that’s harder than it, including a lot of gemstones other than diamonds.
For example, white sapphire and moissanite, two materials commonly used to make fake diamonds, are pretty hard and can both scratch glass.
Since a real diamond bends light, you should not be able to see its bottom when looking through the stone’s top.
So, even if your diamond is fake, it will still pass the scratch test as long as it’s made of a material harder than glass.
Real Diamonds Distort Light
Since a real diamond bends light, you should not be able to see its bottom when looking through the stone’s top.
If the diamond is loose and you place it over a printed text, you should not be able to see the symbols clearly through the stone if it’s real.
However, if the diamond has an atypical cut, this test is not reliable. For example, diamonds that have shallow cuts (such as the emerald cut) do not distort light as much as round diamonds. You may be able to see through such shallow stones pretty well, although they are real diamonds.
Diamonds Dissipate Heat Quickly
Bracelet with diamond imitations
If a diamond is real, it will not be easily heated up.
The breath test: One option to test if a stone is a real diamond is to breathe on it and observe how quickly the fog created by your breath on the stone’s surface goes away. If the diamond is real, the moisture should disappear almost instantaneously.
If the fog stays for several seconds and does not go away immediately, then the stone is most likely not a real diamond.
The problem with this test is that it is not reliable if you are dealing with a material whose thermal properties are similar to those of diamond: In such a case, the fog may disappear pretty quickly, but that wouldn’t be conclusive proof that the diamond is real.
Real Diamonds Must Have Imperfections
No natural diamond is perfect.
If you take a look inside a real diamond, preferably using a jewelry loupe, you will see that even the clearest stone has some internal flaws.
Fake diamonds, on the other hand, don’t have inclusions. If a stone is too perfect and clear, it’s probably not a real diamond
Real Diamonds Should Not Have Scratches
A real diamond can chip, but since it is very durable, it should not have scratches.
If you see that a diamond accumulates scratches over time, then it is unlikely to be a real diamond. You most likely have an imitation made of a softer substance such as glass or cubic zirconia, which are materials that scratch easily.
The downside to this test is that if a piece of jewelry is new, it is unlikely to have scratches on its stones.
All this leads us to the most reliable way to detect fake diamonds: using a diamond tester.
What About Diamond Testers?
Diamond testers are portable devices that test a material for its thermal or electrical conductivity and indicate whether the stone is a real diamond based on these physical properties.
You should know that the testers that only measure thermal conductivity cannot tell a real diamond from a moissanite because both stones are very similar when it comes to interaction with heat.
However, the devices that test for electrical conductivity do not have this drawback and are more accurate.
Nowadays, almost every jewelry store has a diamond tester, and you can have your diamond tested on the premises.
Alternatively, you can buy a diamond tester yourself if you think it would be worth it to have one.
The Best Proof of Authenticity: Diamond Certificate
None of the presented methods here is 100% accurate.
The surest way to know whether a diamond is real is to see its certificate. If possible, always ask if a diamond is certified and read the document.
The most trusted certification authority is the G.I.A. (Gemological Institute of America), and if the stone in question has a certificate issued by this organization, you can be certain that it’s real.
If you have any doubts about a diamond’s certificate or have other reasons not to be convinced of its authenticity, it’s always worth it to have the stone tested by a reputable jeweler.
Where to Buy Diamond Jewelry?
We recommend James Allen (read review) because you can see a 360-degree video for any diamond before buying it.
Blue Nile is another reputable diamond retailer we recommend.
