How to Avoid Buying a Fake Diamond

When purchasing a precious stone, your first line of defense against fraud is having the right information. Learn ways you can detect a fake diamond from a real one, and find out the most trusted places to buy diamond jewelry.

Buy Diamonds From Established Jewelers

The most important first step in buying a diamond ring and to avoid buying a fake is to purchase from a jeweler that you know and trust. You should look for someone who has a long standing reputation in the community, who is an established jeweler and is often times a member of the American Gem Society. To be a member of the American Gem Society you need to withhold certain standards and need to have certain credentials.

Assess the Diamond Reflection

When you are looking at a diamond versus a synthetic stone you will notice that diamonds reflect light differently. And often times with a synthetic stone when moved at certain angles you will find spots that have dead areas that are not reflecting light in the same way - which may be a little hard to tell on camera but in person you will be able to tell the difference. A diamond has a brilliance like no other stone, so when you are looking at a cubic zirconia or another man made type diamond it will generally look quite a bit different in person.

Examine the Diamond Up Close

The next step in looking at a diamond would be under a jeweler’s looth or a microscope, and under magnification of about 10 times natural vision you should be able to see some imperfections in most diamonds. As you are moving the stone around look for small black spots or white imperfections, this will tell you that the stone is not a synthetic.