Real Vs. Fake Diamonds

As far as they can be dated back, diamonds have been known to be one of the ubiquitous symbols of love and adornment. Receiving a diamond usually warrants a special occasion or event in ones life. There are many variables in purchasing diamond jewelry and different benefits for each kind. Now more than ever, it's becoming increasingly difficult to see the difference between diamonds and their fake counter parts.

History

Diamonds have been treasured as prized stones since their use as religious symbolism in ancient India. Most natural diamonds are formed at high-pressure high-temperature conditions. For hundreds of years, diamonds have been imitated by artificial materials. However cubic zirconia quickly started to dominate the fake diamond market after its introduction in 1976, and to present day, it remains the most gemologically and economically prominent replication. Technological advances have seen the development of fake diamonds more sufficient with characteristics even nearer to those of real diamonds.

Facts

Diamonds are made of carbon, and are hardest of the gem family. All diamonds are at least 990,000,000 years old, and some can be up to 3.2 billion years old. Although diamonds are a rare commodity, only 20 percent are gem quality leaving the other 80 percent to be sold in a managed selling environment, and the remainders are used for industrial purposes. Just as there are many different grades of real diamonds, there are also many different factory made diamonds. Superior cutting and polishing, for maximum brilliance, can create a noticeable difference between diamond simulates and the more common grades of cubic zirconia.

Identification

To the untrained eye, it is can be very hard to spot any differences between a real and imitation diamond. In some cases, an imitation diamond ring can be simple to spot, if this is made of crystal or glass. Stones such as a cubic zirconia have very similar qualities that true diamonds have, and it can be more difficult to determine the authenticity. One of the tried and true characteristics of spotting a real diamond is by its hardness. Many think that "If it will scratch glass it has to be a diamond," however jewelers have several tests that they use to grade the authenticity of each diamond and can give you an accurate synopsis.

Types

When it comes to real and fake diamonds there are more types than meet the eye. As far as imitation diamonds, the two most common are cubic zirconia diamonds which can be machine cut or hand cut. And Mossanite diamonds, that are more durable than the zirconia diamonds, but they are still not as hard as the true diamonds. Real diamonds have different colors and could actually be worth a lot more than you think. Pink, blue and yellow diamonds are extremely unique and are therefore increasingly more expensive.

Considerations

There are many reasons that sway individuals to purchase a fake diamond as opposed to a real one. Some people use imitation diamonds as costume jewelry, as it can be completely outrageous when it comes to the size and the design.This can result in what would make for a very expensive piece of jewelry had it been real. Also, there are Conflict Diamonds which are real diamonds originating from areas controlled by forces opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments.These are sold on black markets and are used to proliferate wars which victimize children. If you are in the market to purchase a real diamond, a "Certificate of Origin" can be obtained, and is a great way of ensuring that you are purchasing a verified conflict-free diamond.

References

• Diamond Simulants
• Conflict Diamonds
• Fake Diamonds