Diamond?

[Ruth150]

Hope all is well with all of you! Is this a diamond, a CZ or a moissanite? Thank you in advance for any response! - Ruth

 

[denverappraiser]

There’s not enough information. In theory, you could look at the individual spectra, or those little rainbows you see, and get some good data, but a simple laser pointer reflecting on the ceiling doesn’t even come close to telling you enough to make a stone ID this way.

It’s cool though.

 

[Ruth150]

Thank you for the reply! The stone is over 5 carats and it produces beautiful fire similar to diamond. I'm so afraid to send it to the lab since it's a colored stone. Which lab is the most trusted for colored diamond? - Ruth

 

[kenny]

Thank you for the reply! The stone is over 5 carats and it produces beautiful fire similar to diamond. I'm so afraid to send it to the lab since it's a colored stone. Which lab is the most trusted for colored diamond? - Ruth

For Fancy Colored Diamonds GIA is the most trusted gem lab, by far.

 

[denverappraiser]

Separating diamond from CZ and Moissanite is pretty easy and most jewelers will do it for free or very inexpensively. A 5 carat fancy is an expensive report and shipping is a tricky problem if you don't already know at least that much about it.

 

[Ruth150]

Thank you Mr. Denverappraiser! Below is an image of the stone out of its setting. It's a ring and I had my son took it out of the mounting. The color is orange with a red modifier. I cleaned it before the photo was taken and the picture shows a ball of water on the surface. I will enjoy it since it's a beautiful stone and not to be so concerned about the identity at this time. Thank you all! - Ruth

 

[Ruth150]

Here is the image (over 11mm)...I'm sorry for any inconvenience!

 

[denverappraiser]

Pretty.

How did you decide it was 5 carats? Specifically, did someone weigh it or did you look it up on a chart based on the 11mm+ diameter?

 

[Ruth150]

Pretty.

How did you decide it was 5 carats? Specifically, did someone weigh it or did you look it up on a chart based on the 11mm+ diameter?

I used a ruler to take the diameter and it was over 11.40. I checked in one of the charts online that says over 11mm is in the range of 5 carats to 6. Thank you! - Ruth

 

[denverappraiser]

A scale will help you rule out or possibly indicate CZ. It's quite a bit heavier than diamond and an 11.4mm round stone will weigh in at something like 8 carats.

 

[kenny]

If it is a diamond from a mine, instead of one grown in a lab, and the color is from nature, and not the result of treatment in a lab, then a 5-ct of any color close to that is worth a fortune.

One clue as to whether it is such a fully natural diamond is where you got it from.
If you inherited it:
1. If it is from is a zillionaire then it may be a fully-natural diamond.
2. If not, then almost certainly something else. If it IS a diamond, then it may be lab-created, or the color was from lab-treatment meaning it's worth a small fraction of fully natural.

If you bought it from a store, vendor, pawn shop (IOW a pro) for under a zillion bucks then it is NOT a fully-natural FCD ... pros usually know what they are selling.

GIA can tell you for sure, but unless you live near NYC or Southern California (Carlsbad actually) you'd have to ship it to them.
As mentioned, that's a problem.
You don't know what to insure it for since you don't know what it is, let alone have expert proof.
Not knowing its identity means not knowing its value, and therefore not being able to prove it if the carrier loses it and you try to file an insurance claim.
Insurance claims require proof of its value.

If you think it is a fully-natural FCD then it's worth so much much money that I'd fly to NYC or Carlsbad and personally hand it over to GIA.
Tell them to rush the grading (which doubles the price but the'll grade it in days instead of weeks).
I'd tack on a vacation so you can also pick it up.
You do not have to go through a jeweler for GIA, just call them.
The stone must be loose.

First, I'd take it to a jeweler or pawn shop and ask them to test it for diamond.
If they say it's not fully-natural but offer to buy it, say no ... it may be real.

Good luck.

Got any more pics in different lighting?

 

[Ruth150]

Upon examination with a magnify glass I discovered breaks along the girdle edge (left image). In my opinion, I believe that it might be a CZ based on the tiny breaks at the girdle edge. In addition, I added two more images. Each photo was taken under a different light source. Thanks! - Ruth

 

[denverappraiser]

CZ is likely. Synthetic spinel is reasonably likely. Synthetic corundum is reasonably likely. Glass is possible. Diamond is unlikely. Moissanite is unlikely.

 

[Ruth150]

By the way, the stone is not glass. Furthermore, I just concluded a resarch online about “girdle fringes.” The finding is a diamond inclusion called “bearding.” This inclusion is caused by the girdler applying to much pressure against the diamond being rounded. I learned that if you have beardings then the specimen stone is a diamond. I will keep it until I’m ready to send it to the lab for proper testing. Thank you all for the responses! - Ruth

 

[lovedogs]

By the way, the stone is not glass. Furthermore, I just concluded a resarch online about “girdle fringes.” The finding is a diamond inclusion called “bearding.” This inclusion is caused by the girdler applying to much pressure against the diamond being rounded. I learned that if you have beardings then the specimen stone is a diamond. I will keep it until I’m ready to send it to the lab for proper testing. Thank you all for the responses! - Ruth

I am fairly sure the bolded part isn't accurate--or at least that it doesn't necessarily apply to your stone. I understand that you would prefer it to be a diamond, but that is fairly unlikely.

 

[denverappraiser]

By the way, the stone is not glass. Furthermore, I just concluded a resarch online about “girdle fringes.” The finding is a diamond inclusion called “bearding.” This inclusion is caused by the girdler applying to much pressure against the diamond being rounded. I learned that if you have beardings then the specimen stone is a diamond. I will keep it until I’m ready to send it to the lab for proper testing. Thank you all for the responses! - Ruth

I am fairly sure the bolded part isn't accurate--or at least that it doesn't necessarily apply to your stone. I understand that you would prefer it to be a diamond, but that is fairly unlikely.

What's in the picture is not bearding, and the presence of bearding is not a particularly good test for diamond (although it is an indicator). That said, I'm quite confident the lab can give you a positive stone ID if you can't find someone else to assist who is closer, cheaper, or both. Best of luck with it.

 

[VRBeauty]

Many jewelers or reputable pawn shops will give you a professional opinion for no charge. I've used a pawn shop near my office that I trust - it's a long-time, family-owned business - to ID colored stones at relatively low cost. As I recall, they charged me between $25 and $40 to test a stone (I think with a spectrometer, but I'm it was a while ago and I'm just not sure anymore). An independent appraiser would run more than that, but still less than the cost of getting a lab report. Anyhow, as several others have mentioned, a full lab analysis on a 5 carat stone will cost you quite a bit, when you consider the lab, shipping, and insurance costs. If the stone does turn out to be a diamond, a local appraiser can give you some idea of how much insurance you should consider before shipping your stone off to GIA or AGS, as well as the documentation you might need if something happens to the stone en route to the lab.

Unless you have good reason to believe that what you have is a real, natural diamond, it might be worth your while to try one of these less expensive options before shipping your stone off to a lab.

BTW - GIA's grading fees are available here: https://www.gia.edu/gem-lab-fee-schedule. I don't know how you they would handle it if you submit a stone for analysis as a natural or synthetic diamone ($400+ fee), and it turns out to be a natural colored stone ($100+ fee).

 

[Ruth150]

Many jewelers or reputable pawn shops will give you a professional opinion for no charge. I've used a pawn shop near my office that I trust - it's a long-time, family-owned business - to ID colored stones at relatively low cost. As I recall, they charged me between $25 and $40 to test a stone (I think with a spectrometer, but I'm it was a while ago and I'm just not sure anymore). An independent appraiser would run more than that, but still less than the cost of getting a lab report. Anyhow, as several others have mentioned, a full lab analysis on a 5 carat stone will cost you quite a bit, when you consider the lab, shipping, and insurance costs. If the stone does turn out to be a diamond, a local appraiser can give you some idea of how much insurance you should consider before shipping your stone off to GIA or AGS, as well as the documentation you might need if something happens to the stone en route to the lab.

Unless you have good reason to believe that what you have is a real, natural diamond, it might be worth your while to try one of these less expensive options before shipping your stone off to a lab.

BTW - GIA's grading fees are available here: https://www.gia.edu/gem-lab-fee-schedule. I don't know how you they would handle it if you submit a stone for analysis as a natural or synthetic diamone ($400+ fee), and it turns out to be a natural colored stone ($100+ fee).

Your advice is very helpful! Next week, I'll visit a pawn store with it. Below is a close image of the stone. Thank you so much! - Ruth

 

[DAF]

Let's see if I remember this correctly: a diamond will dissipate heat while a CZ will not. So, try breathing hot air on it - a diamond will not stay fogged up.

 

[denverappraiser]

There’s kind of a cool ‘test’ for bigish diamonds. Hold the stone in your fingers and touch it to an ice cube. The heat from your fingers will conduct through the stone and melt the ice. It’s really pretty dramatic, almost like touching the ice with a soldering iron but, of course, it needs to be a big enough stone to get some decent skin contact. Below a couple of carats is a bit difficult but if any of you have a an appropriate stone, it’s a fun magic trick.

 

[Ruth150]

There’s kind of a cool ‘test’ for bigish diamonds. Hold the stone in your fingers and touch it to an ice cube. The heat from your fingers will conduct through the stone and melt the ice. It’s really pretty dramatic, almost like touching the ice with a soldering iron but, of course, it needs to be a big enough stone to get some decent skin contact. Below a couple of carats is a bit difficult but if any of you have a an appropriate stone, it’s a fun magic trick.

Thank you Mr. Denverappraiser! The ice test will not work since the stone is not big enough. However, the stone passed the transparency test (newspaper/black dot on white background) and the fog test. The next step is to take it to a pawn shop for more testing before submitting it to a lab. Thanks! - Ruth

 

[Ruth150]

Tested...It's a diamond. However, I do not know if the color is natural this is for the lab to conclude. Thank you for all the help! - Ruth

 

[ringo865]

Wow!! Cool Ruth. We will want a hundred more pictures like on your finger for size perspective, etc. even if the color is enhanced, the stone looks pretty transparent so wow. Just wow.

Do post more pics and keep us apprised as you find out more info!!

 

[VRBeauty]

What wonderful news! Do let us know what more you learn about the diamond.

Do you know what test was used to identify your diamond? I'm wondering whether it would be able to distinguish between a mined and a lab-grown diamond.

(Please understand that I am not trying to rain on your parade. It's just that a colored diamond of that size is so unusual and rare... my mind just naturally looks for possible explanations. Even a lab-grown diamond of that size would be well worth sending to a reputable lab for grading, by the way.)