This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

How to tell if it's a diamond

Does anyone know how you can tell if you have a real diamond, as opposed to something made of cubic zircona or similar? Thanks.

Reply 1

dogtanian

16

Take it to a jewellers..?

Why, don't you think he's given you a real rock? :smile:

Reply 2

Cate

1

I thought zircons were less sparkly because diamond has special properties that make the light reflect inside them weirdly and hence make them really pretty and sparkly? At least that's what my chemistry teacher told me...

Reply 3

~nat~

1

Done a Google search for you

Reply 4

killerbee

12

lessthanthree

cubic zirconia will glow mustard yellow"

dont fancy that on my finger then

Reply 5

Daragh

15

Diamond scratches glass

Reply 6

tritogeneia1

1

Diamond should scratch pretty much anything, as it's the hardest substance known I think (or am I behind? Anything harder been discovered/made?). It's number 10 on the Mohs' scale of hardness, so should scratch all other minerals. Not sure if this is helpful, but you could try scratching thigns and see if it works.

Reply 7

Logan

4

diamonds stick to a mirror if you rub it hard against a mirror.. thats what my gran told me anyway

Reply 8

Juno

20

If you take it to a jeweller they have a special machine for testing diamonds! It beeps, and a certain amount of beeps says it is.

Reply 9

Fluffy

15

play_the_world

Does anyone know how you can tell if you have a real diamond, as opposed to something made of cubic zircona or similar? Thanks.

If you take it into a jewellers they have a machine than measures how it defracts light (or something like that).

Or see if it cuts glass :smile:

Reply 10

Ladle

1

Yeah, thats why 2nd hand cars sometimes have arc scratches on the windows, (people clear the mist from the glass and scratch it away).

A diamond should be really shiny, it's all about the refractive index isn't it? - or do I remember AS physics wrongly..?

Reply 11

heminder

13

play_the_world

Does anyone know how you can tell if you have a real diamond, as opposed to something made of cubic zircona or similar? Thanks.

shine UV through it in a laboratory...
i can't quite remember the results, but it think fake diamonds shine differently to real ones...

Reply 12

bikerx23

1

Diamonds have a hardness of 10 on the Moh's scales, and therefore, as several have stated it will scratch glass.
This is the easiest way to test if it is a diamond - and if it is real it will not damage the gem.
The mirror thing isn't true - This would probably work with graphite, but because of the carbon polymorph it will not with Diamond.
The UV thing probably works...but its an effort - just try scratching - easy test...

Reply 13

Ladle

1

I eagrely await the da I finally discover how to turn graphite into diamond (in an economically sound fashion that is..)

Reply 14

Fluffy

15

The formed diamonds never pass the UV test though, so are fairly worthless...

Reply 15

bikerx23

1

Ladle

I eagrely await the da I finally discover how to turn graphite into diamond (in an economically sound fashion that is..)

Considering the conditions under which Diamonds are formed (over 800 degrees, over 40 KBars, for a period of atleast 50'000 years), it is unlikely that this will be found any time soon.
Also, if it was, it would make diamonds worthless.

Reply 16

Fluffy

15

bikerx23

Considering the conditions under which Diamonds are formed (over 800 degrees, over 40 KBars, for a period of atleast 50'000 years), it is unlikely that this will be found any time soon.
Also, if it was, it would make diamonds worthless.

They can already do it - and turn the ashes of the dead into diamond.

They do not have the same properties as natural diamonds though, and are easily distinguished from the 'real' thing...

Reply 17

F1 fanatic

16

play_the_world

Does anyone know how you can tell if you have a real diamond, as opposed to something made of cubic zircona or similar? Thanks.

Scratch it a bit. If it scratches in anyway at all it isnt diamond, diamond being the hardest material known to man pretty much :cool:

Reply 18

Ladle

1

Those diamonds look really bad, they're always yello, or browny, and you just know that ina few years ol' grandma's gonna hit the pawnshop, so not gonna do it to my olds...

Considering the conditions under which Diamonds are formed (over 800 degrees, over 40 KBars, for a period of atleast 50'000 years), it is unlikely that this will be found any time soon.
Also, if it was, it would make diamonds worthless.

Hence the economicallybit. We can already make diamonds, but its expensive. And who says I'd show other people how to do it?heheh...

Reply 19

bikerx23

1

they may be regarded as diamonds, but since the conditions are sigificantly different from natural diamonds, they do not posess the same physical characteristics - mainly due to the large increase in defects in the atomic structure.

How to tell if it's a diamond

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you