How to Tell if Your Diamond Ring is the Real Deal

Knowing the give-away signs to finding an authentic diamond ring can be difficult, especially when shopping online. Find out the best ways to assess authenticity by reading this article.

Image by Gena M via Flickr

With all of the different online shops and pop-up sellers springing out of the woodworks these days, it can be a tricky task to determine who is legit and who isn’t. The last thing you want to do is land yourself with a fake diamond ring that you ended up paying more than you bargained for.

The reassuring thing is though, there are some really good ways you can tell that a diamond ring is either fake or the real deal. Having no room for doubt is crucial in the buying process for diamonds. Unlike many other purchases you will make, there is considerable weight and seriousness to diamonds.

It helps if you buy from a reputable, GIA certified retailer who has a credible history in the diamond industry. For example, Serendipity Diamonds sells elegant diamond rings in the UK and has a solid reputation for serving high-quality, authentic diamonds. You can normally tell by the reviews, social media and other online clues to assess the authenticity of a seller.

So, you have already purchased your ring. You may be wearing that shiny diamond ring right now as you read this article! If you want to ensure if its real when you have already brought your diamond ring, you can carry out some tests earlier on just to double check everything is as it should be.

Here’s how you can check if your diamond ring is real:

• The light test: seeing how light shines through the diamond. Sometimes, even the most convincing diamonds can fool the experts. So you really need to know which tricks you can use to double check it yourself when you’re at home. This test involves you first getting the diamond in a mounted position. Then, you need to shine some light on the stone. If you can see through to the bottom, this is a red flag for diamonds because the structure and facets that make up a diamond are complex. This means you should not be able to see through the diamond at all.

• Do a simple heat test: Diamonds are one of the toughest stones around so it should be completely heat resistant. If the diamond ring is fake and potentially made with glass or other material, putting it against heat will smash or break it. Diamonds however are completely unaffected when they come close to a source of heat.

• The fog test: This is a popular test as it’s a quick and reassuring way to spot a fake diamond ring from the real one. Firstly, you need to just breathe on the diamond. Next, you need to check whether the stone fogs up or not. If it fogs up, it’s a sign of a true diamond whereas fakes or synthetics cannot absorb the heat.

• Get an expert loupe and check: A really reassuring way is to get a professional jeweller tool known as a loupe to look at the diamond. Jewellery shops should let you lend them and it’s a good way of checking for minor colour alterations or mineral specks. If you see these signs, its proof you have purchased an authentic diamond.

Now you are aware of some sound ways of checking the authenticity of a diamond, it will be less common to get conned.