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How To Find A Real Diamond
By Joy McDougle
Many of us love diamonds even though costs can be prohibitive. Naturally we are always looking for a bargain when we go diamond shopping. Online auction sites, private Internet sales, estate sales, and online jewelers are popular places to look. For the most part these are all great options, and shoppers can find the deal of a lifetime. Still, there’s the question haunting us of whether or not we found a real diamond.
This is a valid question with so many manmade stones now on the market. Most of them look like the real thing. Let’s face it, most of us can’t tell the difference, unless the stone is cut glass or crystals, or some of the colorless gemstones. Those made from cubic zirconium or Moissanite, using the latest technology, are harder to spot as fakes.
If you find a diamond you want to purchase, have a jeweler or diamond cutter take a close look at it. This is harder to manage when you’re shopping at an online auction, but you should figure out a way to have the stone checked. Paying a lot of money for something that turns out to be an imitation could cause you a lot of grief and frustration. If you think someone is offering to sell you a cubic zirconium, there are a few ways to check it out.
The first test is to breathe on it and see how long the fog from your breath lasts. If it’s gone in an instant, the stone is a diamond, but if it stays for a minute, you know you’re being duped. Next, write on the stone with an ink pen. If it forms a ball, it’s a cubic zirconium. If it’s a diamond, you’ll be able to draw a line. The third test is to turn the stone over and try to read some newsprint. If you can make out the words and they look pretty clear, then you more than likely are holding a fake. Keep in mind though, that some real diamonds are of a shallow
cut. In that case you could probably also be able to read the paper through it.
Checking its weight is another way to test a stone. Cubic zirconium weigh about 55% more than a comparable diamond. Comparing it with a diamond the same size, or accessing a gram or carat scale, will help you in this situation. Another telling feature is the color. The majority of manmade diamonds (99%) look clear when viewed under a black light. What you want to see is a fluorescent blue color. Blue indicates a true diamond, but too much blue indicates one that’s of inferior quality.
You can also place the stone under a magnifying glass. Look at the facets from the top and see how they are joined. In real diamonds the facets have sharp rather than rolled edges. The girdles should be faceted or frosty, rather than clear looking. If they are too resinous or slippery, you know the stone is not a real diamond. These tips should help you make sure you get your money’s worth when you buy a diamond.
Copyright 2006, Joy McDougle, All Rights Reserved. This article may be published on web sites or in newsletters provided this notice and the resource box is included without ammendment. Free Article brought to YOU by ArticlesOn.com, where you'll find Articles On Everything! Visit http://articleson.com to get more free content. Joy McDougle is passionate about diamonds and runs Raja Diamonds, a web site which focuses on how to buy a great diamond. For more information, go to: www.rajadiamonds.com
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