Can you tell real from fake?

[Black Jade]

There are obvious fakes out there (glaring white, poorly cut CZ) but it can be hard to tell if its earrings or a pendant. It''s easier to tell in the case of rings for me now. But this is only because I have been really looking at diamonds since getting interested in them and being on Pricescope. I don''t think most people bother/care. I think that they mostly assume that things are real or fake based on the size of the diamond and the setting. The look of good vs. bad settings has already been discussed here. The size issue hasn''t been talked about so much. In my experience, people will tend to think a small (especially under 1 carat) CZ is a diamond because you so rarely see people buying CZs in modest sizes. If its large, sometimes even if its real, people will guess that it might be fake.

I wear 1.80 carat total weight diamond studs every day and few people notice one way or another. On the few occasions when I have shared with friends that they are real, they think they''re beautiful and are impressed. (They''re Whiteflash ACAs, H VS2). I find that once they LOOK they see the quality, but that since mostly people who have larger studs are wearing fakes, people just tend to assume without really looking.

I think they were a good purchase because a) I like knowing they''re real b) I like having the choice to decide whether to tell people c) I used to wear CZ earrings (much smaller) and though no one ever called me on them, I disliked having to clean them continually. The scratch/dulling factor is real, also--I used to have to replace them. However I wasn''t ashamed of wearing CZ studs--they were what I could afford at the time, and I liked the look.

There are simulants out there that you can''t tell without a jewellers loupe, as have been pointed out. However, I was always shocked when I looked at the prices people were paying for these. Usually, when you looked at the price of the sim, and then the price of the setting, especially when it came to rings (people don''t spend as much as earrings and pendants), you could have bought a real, and beautiful but less ostentatious diamond for the price. My personal choice if I was going to spend $2500 for a ring would be get a less than one carat diamond, superbly cut, in a simple setting rather than a ring with a simulant that LOOKED as if it cost $10,000 or more. But that''s just me. Also, I don''t move in circles where people care about and judge you by your engagement ring size so I don''t want to judge people''s choices when they have to deal with that kind of shallowness.

 

[Black Jade]

I''m one of those people with real diamonds and a fake LV bag by the way. There was a while when I was saving for real Louis but whenever I got enough I spent it on jewelry instead. I just could never bear to spend that kind of money on a non-leather handbag but I do like the look, at least to some extent. so I picked up one of the better fakes, a pretend Speedy. It''s handles will never have a patina and the little tag that you put the lock through isn''t quite right, but most people don''t pay enough attention to notice and I don''t really care about the ones who do. If someone asks me if it''s real, I tell them, no, anyway so what does it matter.

I carry it only occasionally; for everyday I have a real Coach, which is leather and can take a battering. But I don''t think that whether your handbag is real or fake is a big deal in the whole scheme of things (and neither do I think it really matters whether you have diamonds or CZs or moissanites). I judge people by other factors than that and don''t really care who''s judging me. Over on another forum I''m on, it''s amusing to read how people get worked up about fake handbags as if it were some kind of moral flaw to carry one, but I think that they''re mostly teenagers over there and that when they grow up they''ll get more secure.

 

[kenny]

I doubt I'd be able to tell real from fake without being trained what to look for, especially with the better fakes.

I'm surprised so many non-pros here express so much confidence in their ability.
Unless they were trained and then objectively double-blind tested with a wide variety of fakes in a wide variety of lighting conditions how could they know if their guesses are right?

I wear cheap thrift store clothes and drive a low-end Honda so people probably think my 2.26 ct asscher is fake.
Good thing I'm wearing it for me, not them.

 

[yssie]

I have no idea.


I think I can judge fakes, by size, setting quality, and the person's age (not so much dress)... since I don't actually voice the opinion I'll never know either way

 

[onvacation]

Date: 2/2/2010 5:52:57 PM
Author: Todd Gray

Valerie loves to torture me with ''Oh look honey, plastic pearls!'' or by holding up some plastic cast piece of heinous blech-o-something and saying ''wouldn''t this go great with the dress that I''m wearing for the dinner next week? Which somehow is followed by ''you could always make it in ''something real'' for me - you have that CAD thingy''

Todd, if only CADs could pour out gold! I''d be in for three

BEG, I was really curious to see if Ashas could look real, but after browsing through a bunch of pictures on the other site, I decided not to get one. If you ever do end up getting a chance to see one in person, do let us know what you think of them. You''d have my full attention.

 

[onvacation]

Date: 2/4/2010 10:28:41 PM
Author: kenny
I doubt I''d be able to tell real from fake without being trained what to look for, especially with the better fakes.


I''m surprised so many non-pros here express so much confidence in their ability.

Unless they were trained and then objectively double-blind tested with a wide variety of fakes in a wide variety of lighting conditions how could they know if their guesses are right?


I wear cheap thrift store clothes and drive a low-end Honda so people probably think my 2.26 ct asscher is fake.

Good thing I''m wearing it for me, not them.

Okay, you guys are making me second guess myself. Kenny, are you seriously telling me that if I went and switched out your kicken'' asscher for a CZ that was cut to the exact specifications as your stone, that you wouldn''t notice it?

I''ve been trying to find a way of explaining how I make the call (strictly for myself) between diamonds and sims, and the only way short of an online survey of various photos (which would be nowhere as accurate as seeing things in real life) is to say that there is a visual difference. The spectrum of color, sharpness, limpidity, and so on. In my eyes, fakes usually have more blue/turquoise/light violet flashes, and look flat somehow, lacking depth. I''m not talking about the cut, but the feel of the material. I even pulled out all my jewelry and started comparing stones.

I realize that I''m clearly biased with my own jewelry, but how about ebay (or other similar sites) pictures? There are tons of listings for settings, some which have pictures taken with diamond center stones, and some which are shown with CZ centers. I find myself noticing something off in the pictures, and scrolling and scanning the through the descriptions to find the word CZ. I usually find it, if I feel the need to look for it from the pictures.

So I get my confirmations from here and there, but in the end it accumulates. Just because I know enough about LV bag markings or Chanel hologram stickers to be able to distinguish fakes doesn''t mean I need to go opening up everyone''s bags to confirm my suspicions. People who are into bags will understand what I mean by a bag''s aura. You could look for discrepancies in the color, the stitching, the print, the lengths/proportions, and so on, but in the end it''s about the feel of the bag. It''s the same way with diamonds for me. Of course, a casual glimpse at a stranger''s jewelry may mean that I''m wrong sometimes, but I''m not worried about it, since it''s not like appraisals are my profession.

I''ve tried to think of some other things for which different people would notice the real vs. fake difference:

hair
nails
brakes (Brembo vs. red plastic cap, etc.)
stone countertops
wooden flooring/furniture
down vs. down alternative
fur
leather

I can usually see differences most of the time in all those categories. I would probably have the hardest time with hair vs. wig, because that''s something I pay the least attention to and haven''t seen that many wigs before. Or leather, since the pleather these days is sometimes really hard to distinguish from leather, though in most cases I think tactile and olfactory senses come to the rescue when the visual inspection fails. Anyway, so what are some of the better made simulants? Wink''s Interlap?

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-interlap-arrived.15028/

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/1/2010 1:07:19 PM
Author: MC

Date: 2/1/2010 12:49:53 PM

Author: purrfectpear

Absolutely. CZ, diamond coated CZ, moissanite, you name it. I can tell the difference closely examined.

I always have to giggle a little when I see someone post about how their non-diamond ''fooled'' the jeweler. As a former owner of a jewelry store, I can tell you that it''s not like I was going to point out ''hey, nice fake you''re wearing there sweetie''

You always compliment the customer no matter what kind of drek they''re wearing. Then if they volunteer it''s not real, you act suprised. You ARE trying to get them to be YOUR customer, and a happy customer is an easier sale.

PP - When I was in Jared''s the other week, the sales person insulted my ACAs! His comments (IMO) were used as a method of supporting why I should buy diamonds from that store instead.

what on earth could he say to put them down??? seriously!

 

[ang3199]

Date: 2/4/2010 9:28:18 PM
Author: Black Jade
I''m one of those people with real diamonds and a fake LV bag by the way. There was a while when I was saving for real Louis but whenever I got enough I spent it on jewelry instead. I just could never bear to spend that kind of money on a non-leather handbag but I do like the look, at least to some extent. so I picked up one of the better fakes, a pretend Speedy. It''s handles will never have a patina and the little tag that you put the lock through isn''t quite right, but most people don''t pay enough attention to notice and I don''t really care about the ones who do. If someone asks me if it''s real, I tell them, no, anyway so what does it matter.


I carry it only occasionally; for everyday I have a real Coach, which is leather and can take a battering. But I don''t think that whether your handbag is real or fake is a big deal in the whole scheme of things (and neither do I think it really matters whether you have diamonds or CZs or moissanites). I judge people by other factors than that and don''t really care who''s judging me. Over on another forum I''m on, it''s amusing to read how people get worked up about fake handbags as if it were some kind of moral flaw to carry one, but I think that they''re mostly teenagers over there and that when they grow up they''ll get more secure.

I personally think there is a BIG difference comparing diamond''s vs. CZ/etc and knockoff designer bags vs. real designer bags. But that''s just my personal opinion. I''m more apt to assume a stone is fake if the woman is toting around a big fake bag. But if it is an understated, unbranded bag, I would just assume she spends her money elsewhere (on jewelry)!

But I''m getting much better at telling the difference in stones up close. Far away....forget it.

I also think that it has a lot to do with the context in which you see it. Many of the families that I work with will have EXTENSIVE economic hardships and will come to their appointments wearing HUUUUUGE rings. In that instance, I know it''s not genuine.

 

[Amethyste]

I can if given the item in hand and time to examine. I can spot a moissanite really easily.
For years, I had simulants. People can plunk TONS of cash into a ring with simulants in them. I do not judge the "whys" they decide to do that, but they keep selling/redo/selling/redo and its a circle that becomes costly after a while! If you add up all the money you have lost after having a project done, selling it, then redo another project, I bet you that after 5-6 years, you''d probably would have saved enough money to buy yourself a nice diamond.
For some it''s not to save money, it is a way to not get bored with their everyday pieces and get some excitement and joy out of the whole process.

But I am a purist.

Only a diamond will do, and I am so glad I saved and got the one I have now. As I know it will be the diamond of my lifetime, I look at it in enchantment every time my eyes lay on it and smile. So glad.

 

[clgwli]

Date: 2/4/2010 10:28:41 PM
Author: kenny
I doubt I''d be able to tell real from fake without being trained what to look for, especially with the better fakes.

I''m surprised so many non-pros here express so much confidence in their ability.
Unless they were trained and then objectively double-blind tested with a wide variety of fakes in a wide variety of lighting conditions how could they know if their guesses are right?

I wear cheap thrift store clothes and drive a low-end Honda so people probably think my 2.26 ct asscher is fake.
Good thing I''m wearing it for me, not them.

My question to you is have you been around a lot of good fakes? If you have it probably wouldn''t take a pro to spot one up close. As I said I cannot tell small stones from a distance at all unless there is an obvious reason to believe it is a fake. Even up close without a loupe can be very hard. Moissanite though I can spot pretty quickly. I walk into a store and when they show them I can see them for what they are without even being able to read a sign. To me moissanite is the most obvious look alike out there. If you like moissanite for what it is, I applaud it as it can be beautiful, but trying to pass it off as a fake kind of silly to me as they are totally different looks.

As for CZs, I have owned several really good ones in my time for travel sake. I have also owned smaller ones for earrings. The small ones are harder to tell in general. The bigger CZs were easier for me to spot after time. I couldn''t tell them from afar but if I was up close it is easy to see how different they are. I have been told though I have eagle eyes and I am extremely sensitive to color (as well as textures, sounds and tastes). Some people are just made that way and it can be a huge negative. But it can also be a positive while looking at gems and other tiny items.

I have also recently spent a lot of time looking at settings in jewelry stores. Some of which held real diamonds and many that did not. After a while it began to be easy to tell the CZ from a real. Even the sales people agreed that after a while it was easy. They do not sparkle the same way at all. And the patterns are never as crisp.

I don''t base my guesses on how people dress or how they look. Simulants and the like have their place in the world and personally I don''t care if people wear them or not. I never judge based on that. And honestly I don''t even try to guess on a person unless I am challenged to. There truly is no point to trying to guess.

 

[Black Jade]

Date: 2/5/2010 7:44:21 AM
Author: Amethyste
I can if given the item in hand and time to examine. I can spot a moissanite really easily.

For years, I had simulants. People can plunk TONS of cash into a ring with simulants in them. I do not judge the ''whys'' they decide to do that, but they keep selling/redo/selling/redo and its a circle that becomes costly after a while! If you add up all the money you have lost after having a project done, selling it, then redo another project, I bet you that after 5-6 years, you''d probably would have saved enough money to buy yourself a nice diamond.

For some it''s not to save money, it is a way to not get bored with their everyday pieces and get some excitement and joy out of the whole process.


But I am a purist.


Only a diamond will do, and I am so glad I saved and got the one I have now. As I know it will be the diamond of my lifetime, I look at it in enchantment every time my eyes lay on it and smile. So glad.

I agree with Amethyste. If you look on some of the boards where people are showing off their sims, you can be amazed at the money they are spending--and they spend so much time worrying if they look real or not, it doesn''t seem worth it.Often they don''t SAY they''re worried. But they spend so much time reassuring each other that their rings look real that you can tell they''re worried.
When I had sims, I had cheap ones because I was saving actual money for the real thing, and I just didn''t WORRY about it, if someone said something about them (which, people never said rude things, I don''t know what they were THINKING but they didn''t say it) I''d just say, these are pretend.

 

[Black Jade]

I have given up thinking that someone''s age or the rest of their lifestyle or even what I ''think'' their social class is, tells me about their diamond.

Some young girls have authentic, large diamonds. It doesn''t always work out that you have to live to an older age to get one. Some of them have parents who spend on them and some of them have inherited large stones and some of them are spending (or using credit) in what I think is an unwise way, but hey, they''re not my children.

Some people who are not your social class have large diamonds. Case in point--my grandmother was a maid for many years and after that, an old people''s companion. She owned a spectacular, completely real art deco filigree ring with very large diamond. It was given to her by my grandfather, who was a lawyer when they married and made big bucks--later they broke up (it actually turned out that he was already married and not divorced) and she had many children and fell on hard times. Her ring was important to her, and she did not sell it when she fell on hard times. Maybe the ladies that she cleaned their house were assuming that the maid had a fake diamond, which might seem like a reasonable assumption, but it happened not to be true.

Some people know how to get deals and get large diamonds. Like many members of this board.

You just truly don''t know. Sometimes the wealthy, well-dressed lady with the big rock has a fake, too. I know a LOT of rich people who are going around with fakes and will tell their friends openly that they don''t want to spend their money on diamonds and that they are aware that if they (known to have $$$$) go around with with a fake in a decentish setting, everyone will assume it was very expensive, anyway and that they''d rather keep their money in actual investments.

Life is too short, in my opinion, to waste time worrying about this, especially if you''re looking at other people''s diamonds to compare yours with them (which I assume people in this discussion are not doing).

 

[Black Jade]

Moissanite looks green and has that extra refraction, and its noticeable in large sizes.
Well cut CZs can look really good, but they need to be cleaned daily (sometimes even several times a day) or they get that whitish, glary look. And CZs all have a shelf life, after which they get scratched up and lose their realism. Also, the bigger the CZ, the less real it tends to look--the flaws in the cutting, etc. get magnified as the size goes up.
I just want to repeat that if you want to go fake, which is not a crime, and if you want people not to know, which is also not a crime, its'' better to go small. And to me,this forum tells you how to get beautiful real diamonds that are smaller (nowadays, that seems to mean under a carat)for what''s a surprisingly reasonable price, which is why I''m on here.

 

[Lew Lew]

No, I don''t think I could tell the difference, but then again I haven''t really had the opportunity to do a lot of comparisons.

Date: 2/5/2010 7:44:21 AM
Author: Amethyste
I can if given the item in hand and time to examine. I can spot a moissanite really easily.

For years, I had simulants. People can plunk TONS of cash into a ring with simulants in them. I do not judge the ''whys'' they decide to do that, but they keep selling/redo/selling/redo and its a circle that becomes costly after a while! If you add up all the money you have lost after having a project done, selling it, then redo another project, I bet you that after 5-6 years, you''d probably would have saved enough money to buy yourself a nice diamond.

For some it''s not to save money, it is a way to not get bored with their everyday pieces and get some excitement and joy out of the whole process.


But I am a purist.


Only a diamond will do, and I am so glad I saved and got the one I have now. As I know it will be the diamond of my lifetime, I look at it in enchantment every time my eyes lay on it and smile. So glad.

Some people do that with real diamonds!

 

[Bliss]

Most people wear CZ earrings that are obvious because they always go for the bigger sizes. I think people often think they pass for real because most people are far too polite to say anything. If they say, "My earrings are CZ." I don't think many people would respond, "Yeah, I could totally tell they're fakies."

Instead, they'd probably be a lot more gracious and say, "No, really? They are so pretty. I couldn't tell!" I know that's what I would say to spare the person's feelings.

 

[kenny]

Date: 2/5/2010 3:34:21 AMAuthor: onvacation

Date: 2/4/2010 10:28:41 PMAuthor: kenny
I doubt I'd be able to tell real from fake without being trained what to look for, especially with the better fakes.
I'm surprised so many non-pros here express so much confidence in their ability.

Unless they were trained and then objectively double-blind tested with a wide variety of fakes in a wide variety of lighting conditions how could they know if their guesses are right?

I wear cheap thrift store clothes and drive a low-end Honda so people probably think my 2.26 ct asscher is fake.
Good thing I'm wearing it for me, not them.

Kenny, are you seriously telling me that if I went and switched out your kicken' asscher for a CZ that was cut to the exact specifications as your stone, that you wouldn't notice it?

I don't know whether I could tell or not, but it would be an interesting exercise since I'm so familiar with the look of this diamond.
(I could identify the VVS2 inclusions with a loupe, but that's not what we're talking about here.)
I don't think owning a good diamond makes a person any more qualified to distinguish real from fake.

At first I had diamonds verified that they were real and matched the report.
Today I trust certain vendors.

clgwi, no I have not spent time around fakes.
Are you suggesting that when a person does the difference becomes apparent? - even with the synthetic (most expensive) fakes?
BTW, is Mossanite the most expensive fake?

Actually this thread has made me curious.
Now I want to learn the difference and I may go out of my way to do so.

 

[Karl_K]

With a loupe yes, without not enough to bet money on it.
Some are obvious, but a well cut new clean cz from a distance is tough.
People see what they are expecting to see, if they are expecting to see a diamond its a diamond.
People do not look that close even people who could tell the difference.

 

[kenny]

Karl you mentioned a well-cut CZ.
Would that require different angle and proportions than diamond material?

I thought CZ had a different index of refraction or something, resulting in a change of angle when light bounces off it.
So, if someone wanted to make a CZ perform exactly like a particular diamond wouldn't it require the CZ to be cut to different dimensions and angles?

 

[MustangGal]

I have owned several "fakes" (and Kenny, Moissy tends to be the most expensive, but possibly the easiest to spot). When my real diamond cracked with no insurance, I didn''t even want to dish out that much more for a new one, so put a stand-in in the ring. I actually like it better.

And studs are probably the best place to wear sims, most people don''t get close enough to your ears to tell the difference, and you can''t see them when you''re wearing them (unless you spend a lot of time in front of mirrors). I had some 1cttw moissanites in nice baskets, sold them a while back, got 1/4cttw diamond studs, and don''t like them near as much.

 

[Ara Ann]

Good question Kenny.


BTW, speaking of how someone dresses and how it relates to the believability of their diamond/or CZ jewelry...my SIL and brother are well off. They have nice clothes, car, etc. and she has about a 1.8-2 ct. RB diamond e-ring (she changes her rings every few years)...but she doesn't keep her jewelry clean...she never has, which is a major pet peeve of mine. Her diamond is cloudy looking most of the time...they have hard water in their house and I know she wears her rings 24/7. I know for a fact it's not a CZ, but if anyone just glanced at her diamond and had to choose 'real from fake' next to my sparkly and 'OMC cut' CZ place holder, they'd think hers was the fake, based on the sparkle factor, even though she dresses nicely, etc.

And as was mentioned previously...sometimes diamonds are inherited, etc., so while someone may not look the part or they don't dress like they'd be able to afford a nice diamond, maybe they didn't have to pay for it themselves.

I was kind of insulted by the jeweler who just set my CZ. I asked him if the setting/prongs would be strong enough to re-use at some point in the future. He asked what I planned to set in it and I replied a diamond. My ring takes a 6.5-7 mm round and he reacted with shock and said, a diamond of that size would be very costly. Now I wasn't carrying a designer bag, but I don't dress like a bag lady either. And I plan to use some inheritance money to purchase my 'antique diamond' when the times comes...how dare he insinuate that I wouldn't be able to afford a diamond that size? It's a nice size, but not unattainable price wise either.

 

[Karl_K]

Date: 2/5/2010 12:57:28 PM
Author: kenny
Karl you mentioned a well-cut CZ.

Would that require different angle and proportions than diamond material?


I thought CZ had a different index of refraction or something, resulting in a change of angle when light bounces off it.

So, if someone wanted to make a CZ perform exactly like a particular diamond wouldn''t it require the CZ to be cut to different dimensions and angles?

yes but not a huge difference.

 

[onvacation]

Date: 2/5/2010 1:06:47 PM
Author: Ara Ann

I was kind of insulted by the jeweler who just set my CZ. I asked him if the setting/prongs would be strong enough to re-use at some point in the future. He asked what I planned to set in it and I replied a diamond. My ring takes a 6.5-7 mm round and he reacted with shock and said, a diamond of that size would be very costly.

Seriously, that ASET for people mentioned before (throw in "diamond" detector in too) sounds like a great idea... Sorry you had to go through that, AA.

 

[onvacation]

Date: 2/5/2010 12:38:48 PM
Author: kenny

clgwi, no I have not spent time around fakes.

Are you suggesting that when a person does the difference becomes apparent? - even with the synthetic (most expensive) fakes?

Kenny, I love Harriet''s current sign off line, because I believe it is very true. Go check some out, and see if it makes a difference. It did for me.

btw, I 100% agree with you that owning spectacular diamonds does not necessarily mean you can tell the difference between real and fake. Seeing the two side by side, then apart, helps with the learning process.

 

[clgwli]

Date: 2/5/2010 12:38:48 PM
Author: kenny

Date: 2/5/2010 3:34:21 AMAuthor: onvacation

Date: 2/4/2010 10:28:41 PMAuthor: kenny
I doubt I''d be able to tell real from fake without being trained what to look for, especially with the better fakes.
I''m surprised so many non-pros here express so much confidence in their ability.

Unless they were trained and then objectively double-blind tested with a wide variety of fakes in a wide variety of lighting conditions how could they know if their guesses are right?

I wear cheap thrift store clothes and drive a low-end Honda so people probably think my 2.26 ct asscher is fake.
Good thing I''m wearing it for me, not them.

Kenny, are you seriously telling me that if I went and switched out your kicken'' asscher for a CZ that was cut to the exact specifications as your stone, that you wouldn''t notice it?

I don''t know whether I could tell or not, but it would be an interesting exercise since I''m so familiar with the look of this diamond.
(I could identify the VVS2 inclusions with a loupe, but that''s not what we''re talking about here.)
I don''t think owning a good diamond makes a person any more qualified to distinguish real from fake.

At first I had diamonds verified that they were real and matched the report.
Today I trust certain vendors.

clgwi, no I have not spent time around fakes.
Are you suggesting that when a person does the difference becomes apparent? - even with the synthetic (most expensive) fakes?
BTW, is Mossanite the most expensive fake?

Actually this thread has made me curious.
Now I want to learn the difference and I may go out of my way to do so.

I think for me the more time I spent around the fakes vs the real the more I noticed the differences. I had two very high quality fakes (both set in white gold, one of which I wound up selling because I got bored with it) both just above 7mm in size. One I have now is a round the other was princess.

From a distance no one could tell. The princess that I sold was the one that fooled a jeweler. I admit it was a very convincing fake in many ways. My round is also very convincing as I wore it a lot during pregnancy (it was a larger ring size so I could wear it) and again a jeweler from afar commented on it, but I didn''t offer to them to look at closely. In bright light from a distance I doubt anyone could tell.

Up close though even without a loupe I can see differences. One of the biggest difference for me is that when you look at a pattern in a stone you will see crisp lines in a diamond. In every convincing fake I have seen even without a loupe (provided it is a larger stone) upon close inspection you can see that the pattern lines are no where near as crisp. I wish I had photos to show you or let you see it in person, but it looks like they cannot cut a fake nearly as precise as a real diamond.

I know that might sound vague but that is my biggest give away.

I fully admit to wearing CZs in my earrings for a long time. I have slowly replaced all of my studs and have gone to much better quality CZs for my first hole (multiple piercings).

With the small stones it is harder to tell and definitely need a loupe for the very small ones. My husband cannot tell the difference with my approx 10 pointers though. I had great quality CZs for a long time and replaced with diamond this year. He had them side by side in the box and still couldn''t tell. I can only tell when looking extremely closely.

As for Moissanite, I don''t think it is the cheapest, but I am turned off by the way they look so I cannot say for sure. I just don''t like the greenish-gray hue most of them have so I haven''t been drawn to them at all. Hopefully someone else can say more about them.

Not a pro here, but I got curious a while ago and decided to read up on the physics so to speak of the difference. I was curious what made them look so different in general. There is a TON of information comparing major simulants and they explain why it can be easy to see differences after a while. Lots of great pictures and videos to show tests one can run to test even without a machine.

I do agree with what onvacation said. Seeing them next to each other and then picking them apart later really helps you to see and learn!

 

[Apsara]

Intersting thread. I have 2 ct ideal cut G, VS2 studs and 2 ct interlap, H&A studs from Wink. I wear the fakes when I travel or go swimming, etc. Both are in the same setting--traditional 14k white baskets. One day I put one diamond in, then one interlap in the other ear. No one could tell the difference. If it''s a high quality setting with a high quality, believably-sized sim, then it''s tough unless you''re a jewlery professional. price difference? $10k for the diamonds, $200 for the interlaps....

the person who lives in a studio, drives a 20-yr old car and sports a 5 ct stone is likely sporting a fake... the bigger the stone, the easier it is to spot, I believe, even if the sim is high quality. But I have also seen very wealthy women mix high-end sims with real diamonds. I also have learned personally to spend my money on larger stones/jewelry made of sizeable stones...anything trendy or made with melee, I look for a good sim version. I think 99.9% of people, even jewelers, are hard pressed to tell sims from diamonds if in the 1-5 pt range, exp if in a quality setting and a unique piece.

 

[kenny]

I just wanted to add there are a few of us who don't fit the stereotypes.
We scrimp and save and live modest lives for our income level so we can indulge in one or two luxuries later in life.
It is also possible that a 19 year old who dresses in a grungy, hoodlum style and listens to rap music inherited a substantial diamond.

So, when deciding someone's large stone is fake because other indications of wealth are missing, don't be too sure.

I've gone to 99-cent stores in low-income neighborhoods and actually took comfort that my stone looked too large to be real.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 2/5/2010 4:13:01 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 2/1/2010 1:07:19 PM

Author: MC

Date: 2/1/2010 12:49:53 PM

Author: purrfectpear

Absolutely. CZ, diamond coated CZ, moissanite, you name it. I can tell the difference closely examined.

I always have to giggle a little when I see someone post about how their non-diamond ''fooled'' the jeweler. As a former owner of a jewelry store, I can tell you that it''s not like I was going to point out ''hey, nice fake you''re wearing there sweetie''

You always compliment the customer no matter what kind of drek they''re wearing. Then if they volunteer it''s not real, you act suprised. You ARE trying to get them to be YOUR customer, and a happy customer is an easier sale.

PP - When I was in Jared''s the other week, the sales person insulted my ACAs! His comments (IMO) were used as a method of supporting why I should buy diamonds from that store instead.

what on earth could he say to put them down??? seriously!

Well... There WAS the time when this "shrew" (yes, I digress, but it is so accurate in this particular instance) shoved this blob of a ring into my face and demanded that I tell her whether the diamond was real or fake... And I could see that it was real, but there was something "off" about it, so I louped it for a minute, then I popped it under the lab scope and remarked "well, sort of" which sent her into a tizzy and she barked at me "sort of! what does THAT mean?" and I said, "well, the diamond is clarity enhanced / fracture filled, so part of it is diamond and part of it is kind of like glass, I guess you could say it''s like half real..."

It wasn''t one of my better moments and admittedly I could have handled it better, but she was so pompous - kind of like people who talk down to "the help" when they go to a restaurant if that makes sense (I''m using "the help" to make the point, that''s not my opinion)

You know, I don''t really care whether people wear real jewelry or not, don''t care whether their handbag is real or not, Valerie pointed out to me that her, uh something with a "C" bag isn''t real, just her Burberry... I think that the new "vogue" is going to be about being smart with our money. I can tell you that some of the most financially blessed people who I know are local farmers and ranchers who are smart with their money, they drive old pick-up trucks which have long since been paid for and they pay cash and aren''t flashy about it. If something is real and it makes you feel good to own it / wear it, great... if something is not real and it makes you feel good to wear it, great. Who cares what other people "might" think or whether they can tell, you''re doing it for you, right?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/5/2010 4:13:01 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 2/1/2010 1:07:19 PM
Author: MC

Date: 2/1/2010 12:49:53 PM

Author: purrfectpear

Absolutely. CZ, diamond coated CZ, moissanite, you name it. I can tell the difference closely examined.

I always have to giggle a little when I see someone post about how their non-diamond ''fooled'' the jeweler. As a former owner of a jewelry store, I can tell you that it''s not like I was going to point out ''hey, nice fake you''re wearing there sweetie''

You always compliment the customer no matter what kind of drek they''re wearing. Then if they volunteer it''s not real, you act suprised. You ARE trying to get them to be YOUR customer, and a happy customer is an easier sale.

PP - When I was in Jared''s the other week, the sales person insulted my ACAs! His comments (IMO) were used as a method of supporting why I should buy diamonds from that store instead.

what on earth could he say to put them down??? seriously!

Eh, yeah, I know. He said they''re "milky," and "darker" than their F colored stones! lol The ACAs are AGS graded and the F stone he compared was one of those weird labs - IGI or something like that! lol

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/5/2010 11:37:00 AM
Author: Bliss
Most people wear CZ earrings that are obvious because they always go for the bigger sizes. I think people often think they pass for real because most people are far too polite to say anything. If they say, 'My earrings are CZ.' I don't think many people would respond, 'Yeah, I could totally tell they're fakies.'

Instead, they'd probably be a lot more gracious and say, 'No, really? They are so pretty. I couldn't tell!' I know that's what I would say to spare the person's feelings.

There was a gal at the MAC counter in front of me and she had HUGE cz earrings on (like 2+ carat per ear) They obviously were fake (had that windowing kind of look). . .the sales girl raved about how gorgeous they were! lol

ETA - once I did mistake a CZ for a real and felt so bad after complimenting my friend and then having her admitted the truth. That is when I decided to never again comment on anyone's jewelry (aside from here on PS)

 

[Amethyste]

About moissanites.... Isn''t the whole concept by C&C that is was material from a meteorite? I mean, humans are replicating it as a simulant... To me, it''s not really a "fake" but what is fake about it is that commercial opportunities are seeing them as the perfect plan to simulate it as a diamond, for a lesser cost, like CZ or whatever... And trying to fool the people to believe that it is "like" a diamond with the hardness to be almost the same as a diamond...

I appreciate moissanite for what it is ---> A moissanite. People are easily "confused".