Faking gemstones has become one of the biggest threats to the gemstone industry today, so much so that it’s estimated to cost billions of dollars in revenue every year. But spotting fake gemstones isn’t as hard as you might think if you know what to look for. Whether you’re buying your engagement ring or just thinking about purchasing some jewelry, read this article and learn how to spot a fake gemstone from the genuine thing!
1) Refractive Index
The refractive index of a gem determines how fast or slow light travels through it. Due to how minerals crystallize, they each have their specific refractive index; some are high, others low. If you want to avoid getting duped by fakes and make sure you’re buying what your item says it is, look for gems with a lower refractive index (the traditional gems) because it means that light travels more slowly through them. Quartz is one example of a mineral with a low refractive index: It has an RI of 1.54-1.55, which means that light passes through it quickly. Conversely, diamond has an RI of 2.42-2.48, making it very easy to spot if someone tries to pass off cubic zirconia as diamonds!
2) Shape, Size, Cut and Color
The most obvious difference between real and fake gemstones is the shape, size, cut, and color. Genuine gems are always cut by a skilled expert and will be proportional to their rough original shape. However, if you’re not paying attention to other details of a gemstone, it can be hard to spot something like crooked cutting of a stone or elongated asymmetry that isn’t even visible with your bare eyes. It should also explain how they differ from genuine ones while being honest about what kind of value they add. It could also mention how some brands charge high prices for rare stones simply because they were the first to make them available in the market.
3) Spot Naturality with 4C’s
If a diamond is certified by GIA, that is seen as an almost guarantee that it’s genuine. However, if you want to buy diamonds in person or over eBay, there are some tell-tale signs of potential fakes. The easiest way to spot a fake diamond is to check for its 4C’s: color, clarity, cut, and carat. In general, if a stone has none of these four qualities, then it’s probably not real. For example, many people think that yellow diamonds are white diamonds coated with yellow tinting (and they aren’t). So how can you tell? Clarity is one of those qualities where a fake will usually be very obvious.
4) Flash Point
The flash point of a gemstone is a reference to how hard it would be to scratch it with another gemstone. With diamonds, for example, because they’re so hard, most other gems wouldn’t cause any damage to them at all. But pearls are very soft, and an attempt to scratch a diamond with a pearl might leave you scratching your head. You can use the flash point as a quick-and-dirty method to see if a stone is genuine or not: if it doesn’t seem likely that it could damage another stone, then there’s probably something fishy going on.
5) Fluorescence
Diamonds and cubic zirconia are clear or white stones and therefore lack fluorescence. Fluorescence is a phenomenon that occurs in colored gems that glow under ultraviolet light. In most cases, you can use a shortwave ultraviolet light to check for diamonds and cubic zirconia by looking for their lack of fluorescence. Make sure to test your UV light on a variety of different colored objects before using it on your gemstones so you know what fluorescence looks like and how bright it appears. If there’s no noticeable difference between your gemstones and other objects in brightness, then they probably don’t have any significant amount of fluorescence.
6) Double Refraction or Birefringence
If a stone exhibits double refraction or birefringence, it means light has two different speeds as it passes through. Genuine stones exhibit these qualities; fakes do not. This is how to spot a fake gemstone by checking its double refraction properties. Double refraction is also known as birefringence and occurs when light travels through a material and slows down in some parts of that material more than others. Because of that difference in speed, one part of light waves will reach your eye before another part does (double refraction). In genuine wholesale gemstones, you’ll see many colors appear within one stone.
7) Dichroism (Color Change in Polarized Light)
Dichroism refers to a gem’s color change in polarized light. This effect is most commonly seen in tourmaline, spinel, zircon, and topaz stones. Such gemstones exhibit two colors; one when viewed in polarized light and another when observed under normal lighting conditions. To determine if your stone exhibits dichroism, look at it through a polarizing filter (often found on camera lenses). Under these conditions, you should see two distinct colors—one being highly saturated while the other appears muted or lighter.
8) Inclusions
Inclusions are naturally occurring defects within a gem, which are then identified as adding value to a gemstone. Common inclusions that can be used for identification include Pinpoint – an inclusion that is large enough to see with the naked eye but does not penetrate through a gem’s surface. They are often bubbles of air trapped inside. Crystal – when another mineral grows into a gem, it creates what is known as a crystal inclusion. Inclusion is also a crack in the stone.
9) Magnetic Properties
Of all of a gem’s features, its magnetic properties are easiest to fake—which is why you look out for them when you’re making your purchase. (Just kidding—but don’t use magnets as a test!) The best way to see if a stone has been magnetized is by using an electronic or hand-held gaussmeter; but even without one, you can do some basic testing yourself: just rub two pieces of paper together and place them on either side of your potential purchase. If they stick together, then there’s probably something more than just iron in there!
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is highly important to know how to spot a fake gemstone. Counterfeit stones can look so real that you don’t even notice them, which could be potentially dangerous if you were to purchase something based on looks alone. By knowing how to spot a fake gemstone, you can avoid being scammed or injured by purchasing something that isn’t genuine.
