How Can You Tell a Fake From a Real Diamond?
The simplest, most honest answer to the question of how to tell a real diamond from a fake is “get a professional to test the diamond.” That may seem brutal, or you may have heard that there are ways that clever people with jewelers’ loupes can just take a peek and know which stones are real and which are fake, but the truth is that it is becoming harder and harder to determine a “real” diamond even for trained professionals, and it is dangerously difficult for amateurs. That said there are some rules of thumb. If you are purchasing a diamond in a setting, check the metal stamp within the band: 10k, 14k, 18k, Pl, and similar markings indicating precious metal increase the odds of the stone mounted in the setting being real. If you have a jeweler’s loupe or a high magnification hand magnifying glass, look at the edges and girdle-band of the cut stone. Soft, rolled edges indicate a fake. So does a clear, waxy-smooth girdle where the facets meet and change direction around the “belly” of
