More than just a mere jewellery piece, an engagement ring is a token of love that every couple wants to cherish forever. When it comes to such a deeply emotional piece, you can't help but ask yourself: how do you know if a ring is real?
But you can't easily tell that, especially because today's jewellery market is swamped with fake diamond engagement rings. No matter whether you've recently purchased your emblem of love or it's an old one, getting a closer look at its authenticity is reassuring.
So, read on to learn about a few ways in which you can spot fake diamonds.
What Is a Diamond?
First of all, let's understand what a diamond is. The sparkler is nothing short of a gift of Mother Nature, formed deep within the earth's crust. Other than the fact that its atomic structure is composed of only one element carbon, diamond's brilliance, fire, and scintillation make it a highly sought after stone.
So, it's no big deal if this question is crossing your mind about your diamond ring: how do you know if a ring is real?
In addition to the beauty of the stone, its hardness puts it right on top of gemstones. Diamond scores a perfect 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is the biggest reason why people choose this stone for their most special jewellery piece: an engagement ring.
How to Tell If a Diamond Ring Is Real
Determining the authenticity of a diamond engagement ring can be difficult when you're not considering a reputed jeweller. Still, you can reassure yourself by doing some tests at home. Let's begin them.
Facet Doubling Test
Doing the facet doubling test is one of the best ways to reach an answer to this question: how do you know if a ring is real? Take your diamond engagement ring and see it through a jeweller's loupe.
Is this your first time using the loupe? If yes, then you need to hold it close to one of your eyes and look at the diamond through it. Examine the stone from its table facet (top angle) and check whether the back facets appear crisp. If they do, you may have an authentic diamond.
If you know about the properties of a diamond, you know it's a singly refractive stone. Since the crystalline structure of diamond is extremely uniform, any light entering it bends in only one direction. That's why a real diamond's back facets appear crisp rather than doubled.
Fog Test
Another way to answer the question 'How do you know if a ring is real?' is by doing the fog test. For this test, you don't need anything. However, first you need to clean your diamond engagement ring in order to perform the test.
Once you're done cleaning, pick up your ring and breathe on its centre stone. The idea here is to see whether the stone gets fogged up, and if it does, how long it stays that way.
This test examines the thermal conductivity of the stone. Since diamond has very high thermal conductivity, it can draw away the condensation within one or two seconds. On the other hand, imitation stones can take a little longer to make the fog disappear.
Before doing this test on your diamond engagement ring, first do it on a stone that you're sure is an authentic diamond. In that way, you can find out the standard time a real diamond takes to clear the fog at room temperature. This will help you clear your doubts about: 'How do you know if a ring is real?'.
UV Fluorescence Test
Another test that could tell whether your diamond engagement ring is real is the UV fluorescence test. To check the authenticity of your diamond through this test, you'll need a black-light.
Begin the test by shining the black-light on your ring in a dark room and checking whether the centre stone fluoresces.
This is one of the best ways to find out the answer to the question, 'How do you tell if a diamond ring is real?' Most diamonds glow blue under the black-light, so check whether yours is exhibiting this colour.
Final Words
Getting a sure answer to this question can be tough: 'How do you know if a ring is real?' However, these at-home tests can offer reassurance through their simplicity. You can try these tests at home, or you can always take your engagement ring to a jeweller to examine its authenticity.
After all, it's your engagement ring in question, so mere reassurance won't do. Instead, your token of love deserves complete certainty.
FAQs
1. Are natural diamonds different from lab-grown diamonds?
No, both natural and lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds with similar chemical, physical and optical properties.
2. How to see if a diamond ring is real?
You can determine whether a ring is real by performing these tests at home or by getting it examined by a jeweller.
3. Can a diamond tester detect fake diamonds?
Yes, a diamond tester can detect fake diamonds but only a highly trained professional can interpret the results correctly.