Do fake old cut diamonds exist?
I know there is at least one company selling CZ OEC, but is this rare? How can you see if it is a diamond or a simulant?
The reason I ask is that I sometimes buy jewelry containing OEC or OMC diamonds that are not marked as diamonds and priced as if it were fake stones. I am pretty careful and they have always checked out as real diamonds.
I would like to know if taking the care I do I could sometime be wrong and end up buying a mcfakey. Also if there is something else I should be doing to check if the stones are real before buying.
If I find a piece with whitish stones with OEC or OMC cuts then I first look at if they react/look like diamonds.
Second I see if I can date the piece reliably. If it has legible Swedish stamps I access some databases to check year, maker and city. If they are no longer legible or the piece is not Swedish then I try to date from the model and workmanship. I also look for any indications of swapped stones.
Now I attack the stones with a loupe. First I look for facet abrasions, then a bruted girdle and possible chips, then I search for inclusions. If the setting makes it possible it I check the color too.
Doing the above I can distinguish real from fake if the piece is made before the 70s (or at least I have not been wrong yet). But what if I have just been lucky to not encounter a good fake? And what if good CZ starts appearing in old cuts?
I know there is at least one company selling CZ OEC, but is this rare? How can you see if it is a diamond or a simulant?
The reason I ask is that I sometimes buy jewelry containing OEC or OMC diamonds that are not marked as diamonds and priced as if it were fake stones. I am pretty careful and they have always checked out as real diamonds.
I would like to know if taking the care I do I could sometime be wrong and end up buying a mcfakey. Also if there is something else I should be doing to check if the stones are real before buying.
If I find a piece with whitish stones with OEC or OMC cuts then I first look at if they react/look like diamonds.
Second I see if I can date the piece reliably. If it has legible Swedish stamps I access some databases to check year, maker and city. If they are no longer legible or the piece is not Swedish then I try to date from the model and workmanship. I also look for any indications of swapped stones.
Now I attack the stones with a loupe. First I look for facet abrasions, then a bruted girdle and possible chips, then I search for inclusions. If the setting makes it possible it I check the color too.
Doing the above I can distinguish real from fake if the piece is made before the 70s (or at least I have not been wrong yet). But what if I have just been lucky to not encounter a good fake? And what if good CZ starts appearing in old cuts?