How to Tell If Diamond Earrings Are Real: 5 Simple Tests

November 22nd, 2023 / Hetal M

Whether you receive them as a gift or if you’ve rediscovered a pair of sparkly studs near the bottom of your jewelry stash, you might be wondering if the diamond stud earrings in question are made with real diamonds. Colorless and captivating when exposed to the light, it can be hard to tell an imitation stone from the real deal if you don’t have an expertly trained eye. But don’t fret. There are a few things that you can do to determine whether your diamond earrings are real. 

Follow these easy expert tips to discover the truth behind the sparkle. 

Diamond Certification 

For absolute certainty in determining the authenticity of your diamond earrings, the first step is to ensure they come with a certification. This document, commonly issued by renowned gemological authorities like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gemological Society (AGS), or the International Gem Institute (IGI), serves as a comprehensive verification of your diamond’s legitimacy, origin, and value.
More than just a piece of paper, the certification provides crucial details about the 4Cs of diamond (cut, color, clarity, and carat weight), empowering consumers with informed decision-making. Possessing a certified diamond not only signifies a valuable purchase but also offers peace of mind, as the rigorous examination process conducted by expert gemologists adheres to industry standards, ensuring that your dazzling gems are undeniably the real deal.

5 Simple Tests to Check Real Diamond Earrings

There are a few simple tests that you can run at home or with a reputable jeweler to indicate whether a diamond is a genuine diamond. These quick experiments will set apart diamonds – both mined diamonds and lab grown diamonds – from fake stones. Read more about the five easy options in detail below. 

Use Fog

A fog test is one of the simplest ways to determine whether a diamond ring or pair of earrings is real. Create some fog by breathing on the diamond. Then, watch the stone to see how long it stays fogged. A diamond won’t appear foggy as long as an imitation gem because condensation cannot stick to the surface.    

Use Water 

Requiring nothing more than a glass of water, the water test can be performed just about anywhere. Drop your diamond jewelry or loose diamond into the water and watch what happens. A real diamond will sink, while a fake diamond will float to the top or the middle of the glass. 

Use a Magnifying Glass 

Both natural diamonds and lab created diamonds have imperfections often referred to as “inclusions.” But there’s a catch: These flaws are often so microscopic that they can only be seen under intense magnification. This is good news when shopping for a center stone for an engagement ring or piece of fine jewelry.

Luckily, even a jewelry novice can get their hands on a magnifying glass. Simply hold your diamond stud up to the magnifying glass and search for imperfections within the gem. If it’s lacking imperfections, the odds are that the stone is a fake.  

Use a Black Light 

If you own a black light, why not try this home test to determine the authenticity of your gem? Just turn off the lights and take a look at the diamond jewelry in question; most authentic diamonds will give off a blue fluorescence when under a black light. Inauthentic diamonds on the other hand, often emit a green, yellow, or even gray fluorescence. However, please note that the blacklight test is not 100% accurate, and not all real diamonds will reveal a blue hue. 

Use a Jeweler’s Loupe 

If you want to get really fancy, do it like the pros and order a jeweler’s loupe off of Amazon. A jeweler’s loupe is a small magnification device that helps jewelers examine small details within a gemstone up close. This tool is extremely similar to a magnifying glass with the only difference being that it doesn’t have a handle and is more cone-like in shape.  

After you acquire a loupe, take your diamond and examine it closely for imperfections and inclusions. Microscopic flaws will determine that the diamond is real, whereas no flaws will indicate that the stone is likely a fake. What’s more, you can also examine the gem for slight variations in color from small flecks of minerals. Remember, natural diamonds are rarely perfectly colorless, so an assortment of hues will indicate that the gemstone is indeed real. However, there is a caveat to this as lab grown diamonds are real diamonds, but they do not often include as many flaws or variations in color since they’re grown in a controlled environment—so keep this in mind when you’re inspecting your stone. 

The Lab Grown Diamonds

While you might be quick to write off lab grown diamonds (also called synthetic diamonds) as “fake,” don’t. Lab grown diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically identical to their natural counterparts, meaning that lab diamonds are real diamonds. 

Despite what retailers who sell mined diamonds want you to believe, lab grown diamonds are strong, beautiful, and long-lasting. In fact, many consumers are beginning to turn to man made diamonds and gemstones due to their wildly appealing price point as a lab diamond can cost up to 80% less than a comparable natural diamond. What’s more, lab grown diamonds don’t contribute to the ethical and environmental shortcomings of the mined diamond industry, making them a great choice for eco-conscious shoppers.

The Diamond Alternatives

We’ve been conditioned to believe that natural diamonds are the best choice for an engagement ring or piece of fine jewelry, but that’s not necessarily the case. Depending on your financial situation, purchasing a diamond might be out of the question altogether. Luckily, there is a slew of diamond alternatives that resemble a diamond so closely that only a trained jeweler or gemologist would be able to tell the difference.

Take, for example, the Nexus Diamond™ alternative, a patented lab created diamond simulant that, among all simulants, most closely imitates the look and wear of a diamond. Like lab grown diamonds, the Nexus Diamond™ alternative costs up to 80% less than a comparable natural diamond and this gem is strong enough to cut glass, just like a diamond formed of pure carbon.

Likewise, moissanite is another suitable alternative that shares the same colorless hue as a diamond. The big difference between moissanite and diamond is the way that they refract light. Diamonds are famous for their fire and scintillation, while moissanite emits colorful flashes of refractivity a signature look that has fittingly been dubbed “the disco effect”. While similar in appearance to a genuine diamond, trained experts can instantly tell the difference between a diamond and moissanite. Just something to keep in mind if that’s important to you.

Now, that’s not to say that all diamond alternatives are created equally. Some stones like cubic zirconia are low in quality and should be avoided for daily wear as they’ll begin to discolor and cannot hold a candle to a diamond’s sparkle. But other stones, like white topaz, are very similar in many factors to diamonds. It’s good to keep your options open and to understand that there are other choices besides real diamonds when shopping for your next pair of diamond earrings.

If you’re wondering how much are diamond earrings, what is the best cut for diamond earrings, or how to clean diamond earrings, visit us at Diamond Nexus for guidance on diamonds and diamond alternatives.

 

Sources

https://www.theknot.com/content/how-to-tell-diamond-real-home-tests