For the average person, the question of how to tell if a diamond is real is a tricky one. While only a professional gemologist with years of training and specialized equipment to view and analyze the gem in question can authoritatively ascertain whether a diamond is, in fact, the real deal, there are a few tricks that can help the flea market bargain hunter or recently proposed get a clue as to the true identity of their diamond in the rough, so to speak.

If the gemstone is unmounted, that is, if it is just a gem with no accompanying setting, a good way to check the authenticity of its identity is to place it over a photograph or, better yet, written print. As diamonds allow light to pass through them without any bending or warping, there should be no visible magnification or distortion of the print under the diamond.

If the gem is already in a ring, necklace, or other setting, breathing lightly on the gemstone is another good test. Diamonds are known to conduct heat well, and while a quartz or cubic zirconium will fog up like a pair of glasses or a mirror will, there should be no detectable condensation on a true diamond.

Finally, to tell if a diamond is real, one can look at the forces that create diamonds. Diamonds are the result of bits of carbon put under an enormous amount of pressure over a long period of time. This normally results in what are known as ‘inclusions,’ bits of other matter than were incorporated into the diamond during its formation. Inclusions usually take the form of little dark specks within the gem. If the gem in question is lacking the inclusions, but has warping, bubbling, or imperfections along the edges, it is likely glass. If it is perfectly clear and without any internal imperfections, it is most likely quartz crystal.

Whatever the case, as diamond only has the value given to it by the wearer, otherwise, it is nothing more than a pretty rock. If a gem is given and received with love, it holds the same value whether it is genuine diamond, quartz crystal, or a beach pebble.