How to Tell if I've Found a Diamond Clear Stone
If you are shopping at yard sales, antique stores or pawnshops, or perhaps you are going through some family heirlooms and you come across a clear diamond-like stone, there are a couple of quick tests you can conduct to tell if perhaps what you have found is a real diamond. Though these tests are not 100 percent foolproof -- an independent appraisal is most reliable -- it will give you a good idea if the clear stone is the real McCoy or not. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Microscope or jeweler's loupe
- Real diamond
- Ultraviolet light
- Newspaper or book
Instructions
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Look at your stone under a microscope or jeweler's loupe. Look for any inclusions or features inside the diamond. Spots that look like small bubbles or carbon spots are common inclusions in real diamonds. White spots that are the size of a pinpoint are also common, as are cloudy areas. Real diamonds have inclusions, some more than others, but fake diamonds do not.
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2
Scratch the stone in question with a real diamond. If your stone is a diamond, there will be no scratch mark. Note, however, that you may damage a perfectly fine stone, albeit not a diamond, in the process.
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Breathe on the stone like you would breathe on a mirror to fog it up. If the stone remains foggy for more than two seconds, it's most likely a fake.
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Put the stone under an ultraviolet light, also called a black light. If the stone appears blue, there is a 99 percent chance it is a diamond. This is not a foolproof test. Many diamonds, especially high-quality ones, do not produce a blue fluorescence. In fact, diamonds that do produce a blue fluorescence are worth less than diamonds that don't.
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Place a large clear stone over a newspaper or book. If you can read the print, it's most likely not a diamond. However, small, shallow diamonds are more transparent so you may be able to read the print.
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References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
