How to tell if a diamond tennis bracelet is real or fake?
Real Vs Fake Diamond Tennis Bracelet: How To Tell If It’s Real
There are two things to check about whether the tennis bracelet is real or fake
- Whether the metal is fake or real
- Whether the diamond is fake or real
Checking the metal, whether it is fake or real, is comparatively much more accessible than checking diamonds.
Synthetic diamonds are becoming so popular that the trend of selling fake diamonds in the name of real is increasing daily. If you are not familiar with the ways to check and verify natural diamonds, it is possible that someone will sell fake diamonds, and you will not know.
There are enough stories of frauds out there, where people have made millions of dollars by selling fake diamonds and fooling people worldwide. Some counterfeit diamonds are becoming so realistic that it is almost impossible to know whether a diamond is real or not without doing proper tests and taking it to a professional jewelry checker.
But most of the time, it is easy to answer the question of how you can tell if a tennis bracelet is real or fake. You can do a few tests on your own to check whether the tennis bracelet you have is real or fake.
3 Testing Methods of the Metals: Gold, Silver, etc
First, let's see the tests available to see whether the metals Gold and Silver are real or not:
1. Look for hallmark
Hallmark is a small stamp on the jewelry indicating the gold's karat weight or the metal's purity. Depending on location, there will be different hallmarks. For example, in the United States, the gold purity is described as 24, i.e., 10k, 18k, etc. And the silver purity is defined as 925 or .925, indicating real sterling silver.
2. Look for a letter marked
It is not completely real gold if your jewelry has a letter mark like GP, GF, or GEP. For example, GP means Gold Plated, GF means gold Filled, and GEP means Gold Electroplated. And if it is marked as EP, EPNS, SP, or SF, the jewelry is silver plated or silver filled.
3. Do the scratch test
With some pressure, scratch your gold jewelry on an unglazed ceramic vessel. If it leaves a gold mark on the vessel, it is real gold; if it leaves a black or grey mark, it is not.
If you try to scratch the surface of silver jewelry, the silver color comes off, showing some different metal underneath, which means the jewelry is not completely real silver.
10 methods to verify if a diamond tennis bracelet is real
Now, let's look at ways to verify the natural diamonds, to check whether the tennis bracelet that you have is real or fake:
1. Fog test
This is a fun test. Diamonds disperse heat quickly and remove fog from their surface almost instantaneously. So, you must breathe on a diamond and see how much time fog remains. The diamond is fake if it doesn't disappear in a few seconds.
2. Sparkle test
This will require some attention. The sparkle test is one of the most critical tests to see whether the diamond is fake. Diamonds are known for their sparkle and brilliance, so take your diamond in light and see the sparkling light carefully. The diamond is fake if you see the sparkle in a bright rainbow-like hue color. The sparkle should be white or grey with a hint of other colors.
3. Scratch test
Take sandpaper. Sandpaper has a hardness of between 7 to 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, while natural diamond is at ten on the Mohs scale of hardness. So take the sandpaper, rub it on the diamond, and look for scratches; if it has scratches, then the diamond is fake.
Or, if you want to save your fake gemstone from scratches, you can do a scratch test on glass. Scrape the diamond against a mirror or a glass panel, and see if it creates scratches. Diamond, the hardest material out there, should scratch the glass or mirror surface. If it does, then most probably, your diamond is natural.
4. The line test
This is a simple one. Draw a black line and put the diamond on it. Diamond bends the white light when passing through it, so if the line disappears, you might have the real diamond.
5. Check the weight and the size of a diamond
You can check if a loose diamond if it is real or fake just by weighing it. For example, a 5mm round diamond will weigh around 0.5ct. If it is more substantial than that, then you have the fake diamond. Check the below chart to check the correlation between weight size.
6. If the diamond is too good to be true
This is a little tricky, as there are perfect real diamonds, but they are way too expensive. If the diamond looks too perfect, without flaws, if it appears very white and without any minor marks, you might have a fake diamond.
7. Check the facets
Check the facets of the diamonds. If they are round-edged and not very sharp, that usually means the diamond is fake. A natural diamond will have sharp edges.
8. Use a diamond tester
Diamond testers are readily available in the market. The diamond tester has a metal tip to determine whether the diamond is real. It measures the thermal conductivity of the real diamond. If it is not thermally conductive as a real diamond, it will not showcase the red light, indicating the fakeness of the diamond. Diamond testers are mostly battery-operated, and they catch most of the fake diamonds.
9. Price test
Every diamond has a price, like this 9-carat diamond, which is always sold around that price. So whenever you buy a diamond, ask a few merchants about the cost of the same diamond in the market; if you're getting the diamond lot cheaper than the market price, then instead of getting a good deal, you're getting a bad deal.
10. Ask for a certificate
Every natural diamond has a certificate. If the diamond has an engraved certified number and the certificate is from reputable diamond grading laboratories like GIA, AGS, or GCAL, then your diamond can be real.
Problem may persist
If you have bought a piece of diamond jewelry, you should know that even after all of these tests, there is a chance that your diamond is lab-grown, manmade. And it may be made so precisely that it is impossible to see if your tennis bracelet is real or fake by our naked eyes or from the above tests.
So even after passing all the tests, there is a chance (not high, because these kinds of diamonds are expensive too, but not as much as the real diamond of the same characteristics) that even if your tennis bracelet is of the same price as of a genuine tennis bracelet, it might still be fake, the only way to be entirely sure is to take it to the professional jewelry checker.
Some synthetic diamonds are so well made that they can even fool the eyes of a professional jewelry checker; that is why you must go to the jewelry check who has the machines to check whether the diamond is real or fake.
Buy real diamond tennis bracelet from Netcarat
It's important to ensure you get the real deal while purchasing diamond bracelets or any other jewelry like diamond pendants, diamond rings, etc., because you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on fake diamond jewelry that doesn't hold its value. That's why it's crucial to buy from a reliable source that you can trust.
At Netcarat, we take the authenticity of our diamond jewelry very seriously. We go to great lengths to ensure that each and every diamond we sell is 100% real and of the highest quality. Our diamonds are carefully checked and verified by reputable diamond grading laboratories before shipping them to you, and we provide a certificate of authenticity with each purchase.
Trust the experts at Netcarat to provide you with the best and most reliable diamond jewelry on the market.
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FAQs
1. What is the price difference between a real diamond tennis bracelet and a fake one?
A: It depends on factors such as quality, size, and materials used in the setting. But a diamond tennis bracelet will be more expensive than a fake one.
2. Which type of diamond tennis bracelet is more durable, real or fake?
The properties of diamonds make them harder than fake ones. Additionally, the setting and clasps used in real diamond tennis bracelets are typically made of higher quality materials than those used in fake ones
3. Does a fake diamond tennis bracelet look similar to a real one?
A: fake diamond tennis bracelet can look similar to a real one, but upon testing and closer inspection, it can easily be detected.
4. How can I ensure I purchase a real diamond tennis bracelet?
A: While buying online, check for certification or grading from a reputable diamond grading authority, such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Also, ask the jeweler about the quality and characteristics of the diamonds used.
5. Is it worth buying a fake diamond tennis bracelet as a temporary accessory?
A: Fake diamond tennis bracelets are less durable and can quickly lose their shine and sparkle, making them less attractive. It may not be worth the investment.