Those who don't deal with gems on a regular basis
can easily confuse a real diamond with an entirely different stone – for example,
cubic zirconia. For this reason, it's time to learn the ABCs of spotting a fake diamond at home!
Grab a UV light and watch the magic happen… or not! Most diamonds give off a blue-colored
glow – but not all of them. Some gems don't gleam under UV light at all. So don't throw the
potential diamond away if it's not glowing. There's plenty of other tests you can try!
Hold the diamond in your fingers close to your mouth and breathe out a puff of air.
A light fog will form on the surface of the diamond. That’s because of the moisture and
heat in your breath. If the fog disappears right away, your diamond is real! If it takes several
seconds for the fog to dissipate, it's likely a fake. If you have a loose diamond, you can try
dropping it in a glass of water. If it sinks, it's the real thing. If it floats in the water,
you might have a fake on your hands. An authentic diamond has a high density!
Diamonds are very durable. They CAN get some surface damage.
But a stone that shows a lot of scratches or scuffing
is less likely to be a real diamond. There's a reason for diamond drills – they're tough!
The harshest way to find out whether your diamond is real or fake is by putting the gem through a
fire test! But be very careful when doing it! Use something to hold the diamond. Then take a
lighter and keep it beneath the stone for about 30 seconds. Then drop the gem in cold water.
If the thing is real, it will remain unharmed. But if it's fake, it'll shatter. Real diamonds
were formed under intense pressure and heat billions of years ago. So a little flame will do
no damage at all! To test your gold at home, there's no need to bite onto it to see if it's
real – like people did in the old days. Real gold isn't magnetic, but many other metals are. You'll
need something stronger than a fridge magnet, though. When you find a suitably powerful magnet,
place it near your piece of gold. Then check whether the item gets attracted to the magnet.
If the thing does move, then it's likely made of not pure gold. It might be some kind of cheaper
metal plated with gold or a gold-like substance. Or you can simply take a few drops of vinegar and
pour them on your gold item. If the drops change the color of the metal, it's not real gold.
Doing the float test may give you the answer to your question as well.
Gold doesn't float. Neither does it rust! So, if you see some signs of rust or discoloration,
you know your piece isn't real. If you're still in doubt, going to a jeweler can be the best
solution. They'll conduct further examinations that'll reveal your gold's real weight and purity.
You can easily figure out whether something is actually made of silver at home.
The best way is to look for any markings or stamps on its surface. You're supposed to find a stamp
with 925, 900, or 800 on it. These numbers show the percentage of purity of the silver! If you
think it's sterling silver, it should contain at least 92.5 percent of pure silver or more!
Just like gold, silver is nonmagnetic! So, grab some magnets and see if your silver will react.
If your piece sticks to the magnet, it's made of something other than silver or is an alloy. You
can also smell the piece in question. If you sense the odor of sulfur or a distinct metallic smell,
then it's not sterling silver, which is odorless! The piece you have might be
silver-plated. But any scent indicates that it's not made entirely of sterling silver.
Synthetic opals are much more porous than natural ones. Synthetic opals also have a
lower density compared to real ones. And for this reason, they tend to be lighter.
When you look at them under magnification, synthetic opals have a regular color pattern.
At the same time, natural stones don't have such regularity in their tone.
I hope you haven't put away that UV light you used to check the diamonds.
Because it can be used on opals too! A true opal will turn fluorescent green,
blue, or white when placed under UV light! If it doesn't glow, it's not an opal but something else.
Doublets and triplets are opals that have man-made materials added to them.
It means they're real but not pure. On the bright side, they're much more affordable
too! Doublets consist of a real opal and some other material fixed to the back of the stone.
Triplets have an additional layer on top. If you want to get a genuine opal, you’ll to have
to spend a little bit more money on it. From the side, a real opal should look solid, not layered.
Doublets only have two layers: the real opal and one more layer attached to it. You should be able
to see a thin line where the layers are joined together. Does the top of the opal look glassy
or see-through? Then it’s likely to be a triplet. Those are capped with hard clear plastic. The top
of such an opal will reflect light differently from a natural gem. If you can see through
the top of the opal while looking at it from the side, you're probably holding a triplet.
To be able to tell if pearls are real or fake, you must know that they're different from any
other gemstone. Pearls are created by living creatures! Most fake pearls on the market
today are made in labs. The materials used in their production are usually plastic and glass.
Fake pearls shine and reflect light in the same way. Real pearls are made by mollusks and have
slight imperfections. A fake pearl necklace, on the contrary, will have pearls of the same size.
All of them will be perfectly spherical and with no blemishes whatsoever.
This method isn't for everyone. Think twice before using it. Take a pearl and gently rub it against
your tooth. If the thing is real, you'll feel some grittiness similar to that of sandpaper!
And if the pearl is fake, it'll feel smooth like plastic or glass! Jade is one of the most popular
and sought-after gemstones around the globe! With such high demand, there are going to be plenty of
fakes. While flaws in gemstones are typically considered a drawback, they're sometimes a
blessing in disguise. Flaws in jade prove that the stone is likely authentic. Hold your gem
under the light and carefully inspect it. If you see any bubbles inside the stone, it's not real.
Real jade is very hard and doesn't scratch easily! It’s even tougher than a lot of metals. That's why
your jade item isn’t supposed to be affected if you scratch it. Even steel won't leave any marks.
To do the scratch test, take a metal object, for example,
a knife or a pair of scissors, and try to scratch the surface of the jade.
You should be looking for any marks left on it. If you see one, your jade is probably fake.
Jade is cool to the touch. If you're holding a real thing,
you'll notice that it doesn’t change its temperature. It'll take a long time to warm up,
and later, it'll cool down very quickly. A good way to test this out is to hold the jade in your
hand and feel its cool temperature. Wait for it to warm up, then set it aside for several seconds.
After that, pick it back up. If it's jade, it should be already cool!
Authentic crystals grow in the darkness, deep underground or underwater. The process takes
thousands and sometimes even millions of years! Synthetic crystals have the
same chemical makeup as real ones. But they get grown in laboratories lightning-fast.
As for full-blown fake crystals, they're just imitation pieces. Those are often made
of plastic or less valuable stones. Afterward, they're dyed and marketed to appear authentic!
Authentic crystals take time to mine, process, and ship around the world. This
results in prices that are way higher than any synthetic crystals or imitation pieces have.
Cheap crystals you can find on online shopping sites may appear to be similar
to the real thing. Sellers rely on low prices to make their customers buy more.
But in almost all cases, this means the item you're going to get isn't authentic.