How to Separate a Diamond Disc for Zirconia

Diamonds are precious and valuable gems; zirconia is not.

Fake diamonds, typically made from cubic zirconia, a synthetic material similar in color and luster to diamond, are exceedingly common. The gems are inexpensive to produce and can make a fortune for the counterfeiter at the expense of the trusting buyer. Being able to tell a fake diamond for zirconia can save you an awful lot of money and regret.

Instructions

Breath Test

1. Hold the gem up to your mouth and examine it, taking note of its clarity.

2. Breath out on to the gem slowly, as if you were trying to warm your hands in the winter.

3. Observe the gem immediately after you blow on it. If the gem is a real diamond, the heat from your breath will be deflected by the stone. If it is cubic zirconia, and not a diamond, the gem will fog up -- losing a considerable amount of clarity. A fogging gem is a fake.

Newspaper Test

1. Loosen the gem from its fitting, if possible, or hold it at an angle such that there is a clear path from one end of the stone to the other which you could attempt to read through.

2. Place the gemstone on or slightly above a newspaper or similarly fine-printed reading material.

3. Read the words on the page through the stone. Since diamonds refract light too wildly for something like small printed letters to shine through as in a magnifying glass, the words should be illegible through the stone. If you can read them, the gem is likely a fake.

Tips & Warnings

• Take the gem to an expert to get a final opinion. Most jewelers will take a moment out of their day to examine a stone for you.

References

• Abazia's Diamonds: Tests to Tell Genuine Diamond from Cubic Zirconia