Are you looking to buy a diamond for yourself or your loved one? To ensure you are getting the best value for your money, it is essential to know if the diamond is natural or lab-created. After all, the value of natural diamonds is way higher than that of lab-created ones.
The quality of a diamond can make all the difference between having an ordinary piece of jewelry and having something truly special. But even if you know your diamonds, it can be hard to tell if they’re natural or lab-created.
To avoid getting ripped off by an unscrupulous jeweler, here’s what you need to know about identifying whether your ring or necklace is made with a natural stone or one created in a lab.
Try the fog test to test the authenticity of diamonds
The fog test is a simple method to determine if your diamond is natural or lab-created. All you need are two pieces of white paper and a pair of tweezers.
With one piece of white paper, hold it up to the light and look for tiny pinpoints of light coming through. This means that your diamond is most likely authentic.
The second piece should show no such pinpoints, indicating that it’s an artificial creation. If you’re still not sure after performing this test, feel free to take the matter further with an expert opinion from a gemologist.
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Check the color quality of your diamond
Color is a natural characteristic of a diamond. Most natural diamonds are colorless (colorful ones are rare), and lab-created diamonds can be any color, even pink or yellow.
When shopping for a diamond, the color quality should be at the top of your list to identify whether your stone is natural or artificial. Natural diamonds have been formed over millions of years by intense heat and pressure inside the Earth’s crust, while lab-created ones are manufactured in a laboratory. Both types have unique characteristics that set them apart from each other.
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Test the diamond’s refractivity to see if it is natural
If you have a refractometer, it’s simple to test your diamond’s refractive index. You will know within minutes whether your diamond is natural or lab-created.
Refraction is the degree to which a ray of light is bent when passing from one medium to another. The refractive index is measured in degrees and determines how much light passes through a gemstone at different angles.
A natural diamond should have a refractive index between 2.42 and 2.45, with few exceptions. Therefore, if your diamond doesn’t fit into this range, it’s likely that it was created in a laboratory setting.
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Observe the diamond’s reflections under sunlight
The most popular way to determine if a diamond is natural or lab-created is to observe how it reflects light.
When you look at a natural diamond under direct sunlight, you will see it has grayish reflections. On the other hand, lab-created diamonds do not exhibit any gray-like reflections when placed under direct sunlight. Lab-created diamonds appear too bright and shiny – often emit rainbow-like reflections.
Wrapping up
If you are looking to buy a diamond, you must know how to identify the authenticity of that diamond. That’s because the value of natural diamonds is always above the rest. If you want to buy a real diamond, always prefer buying from a certified and trusted seller to avoid buying lab-created or synthetic diamonds.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
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