Di MODOLO has become synonymous with exquisite diamond and 18K gold designs. Since 2001, the company has crafted innovative jewelry designs that reflect the elegance and passion of Italian culture. In a February 2019 article, Di MODOLO teaches readers the difference between fake and natural diamonds.
The diamond market has seen the entrance of stones that look exactly like the real thing but cost less. To distinguish between the two, they assess refraction, or how much light the piece reflects. Natural diamonds have a high refractive index, somewhere around 2.42. Conversely, glass has a refractive index of around 1.5. The refractive index measures how a ray of light bends after passing from one medium to another.
Cubic zirconia remains the most common imitation of a natural diamond. A man-made stone created from zirconium dioxide, cubic zirconia is as hard as natural diamonds and comes in various colors, including pink and champagne-colored diamonds.
Next, zircon, a chemical compound, also mimics diamonds. Zircon has various colors. After polishing, it becomes doubly refractive, making it a good stand-in for a diamond.
Other mimics of the natural diamond include the white sapphire and white spinels. White sapphires belong to the same family as rubies and blue sapphires and often sub as diamonds. Also, white spinels come in many colors and are similar to sapphires and zircon because they are natural minerals. A Di MODOLO jeweler mentioned the challenges of getting white spinels to be the same color as a natural diamond.
Finally, moissanite and marcasite are other diamond mimics. Moissanite, created by a French chemist in 1893, is another highly refractive diamond that often costs more than cubic zirconia. Finally, marcasite comes from iron sulfite and has become a stand-in for black diamonds, made popular during the Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Nouveau eras.
Diamond professionals also pay attention to jewel chips. Diamonds do not chip. Other stones can mimic the look of diamonds, but they cannot imitate their durability; most fake diamonds chip.
Individuals can test the stone by filling a glass of water three-fourths and dropping it. The natural diamond will sink to the bottom of the glass while the mimic will float. Individuals can also use a heat test. Fill a glass with water, take a lighter, and heat the diamond for 40 seconds. Then, drop it in the water. A natural diamond will not break or chip, while a fake diamond will.
In addition, professionals test the amount of a diamond reflects. Place it under a lamp, which should reflect white light, making it shimmer. Imitation stones will not shimmer.
Other diamond evaluations are fog, transparency, and color tests, which are simple and quick. The fog test only requires the person to breathe on the jewel. It is likely a fake if the jewel remains fogged for over a few seconds. The transparency test involves placing a diamond on a newspaper. If the person can read the newspaper's lettering, it is likely a fake. Finally, if the diamond's color appears off, it is probably fake.
Di MODOLO offers a wide selection of natural diamonds.
Source: bennyshabtai
