Found a ring. How to spot a fake?

[jcl49er]

A couple years ago while jogging, I found a man''s ring in an empty mall parking lot with the band bent from being run over. The ring is big and gaudy. It''s basically a really wide, 10K yellow gold band and there''s a round cut center stone (around 1.00 CT) surrounded by 8 smaller round cut stones (at least 1.00 CT total. The surface is probably the size of a nickel. Of course, I figured right away it was fake. It''s just too big and ugly not to be. And I figured that if someone spent that much on stones, surely they''d have something nicer than a thin, 10K yellow gold band (the band is really thin/tinny). I tossed it in a drawer and forgot about it.

I came across it last night and I wondered "what if???" But outside of taking it to a store to be inspected, are there any do-it-yourself tests that would let me know if the stones are fake? I took a really sharp utility blade last night and tried to cut into the table on one of the small stones and I couldn''t even make a mark on it. That''s the ONLY reason I even bothered posting this because I figured if they were fake then surely a sharp blade would have cut into the stone. Are there any fake stones that would be that durable?? Any other things I can do myself to confirm it''s fake/real?

 

[denverappraiser]

Most of the current generation of substitutes are that durable. Take it in to a jeweler. It’s not especially difficult but it does take a bit of practice. Most jewelers can do this for you for free and will be happy to do it while you wait. If it turns out to be real, they can probably arrange to have it set into a new mounting that would suit your taste better.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Independent Gal]

I don''t mean to sound preachy, but if you found a piece of gold jewelry, even 10K, and even if it had stones that might be fake, you have no idea whether it has sentimental value for someone. And since you only "assumed" it was fake, you didn''t know the monetary value as well. Supposing it was someone''s grandad''s ring?

I once briefly misplaced a piece of jewelry that was extremely valuable to ME. When I went back to find it (5 minutes later!) it was gone and it still breaks my heart every time I think about it. It was a gift from my mother and the first piece of jewelery I ever owned.

It seems to me you have a serious responsibility to at least try to find the owner of that ring, as you SHOULD have done when you first found it. And whether or not the stones are fake. But if they''re real, for heaven''s sake! Someone''s entire life savings might be in that ring! Just put yourself in that person''s shoes for a moment.

You need to at least try to give that ring back to it''s rightful owner.

 

[jcl49er]

Well, I figured the morality police would respond but that's understandable.

It's not like I found it next to a car or anywhere in the vicinity of someone. This was at the far end of a mall parking lot when the mall was closed. No telling how long it had even been lying there on the ground. There would be virtually no way to find the owner of that ring even if I had wanted to. What good would it have done to give it to some help desk at the mall where some kid making $8/hour is going to likely just pocket it? And I stashed it into a drawer for 2 years so it's obvious I wasn't dashing off to a jeweler right after I found it to cash in on someone else's misfortune. It has been two years and I don't even live in the city I found it in (which was a huge city) so it would be rather difficult to find its owner.

Look, I have very good morals, I go to church every single week (not that that matters these days) and I believe in right/wrong. But given the circumstances, I don't feel that I did anything that 90% of people wouldn't do. I'm almost certain it's fake but if it's real, I'll make a charitable contribution if it will make you feel any better. Sheesh...

 

[Independent Gal]

It may well be true that it would be very difficult to find the owner. But does that justify not making the slightest effort? If I lost a valuable ring, the first hting I would do would be to call the mall administration. It would take you a grand total of 10 minutes to notify the mall administration and lost and found that you had found it, in case someone contacted them about it. Absolutely no need to hand over the ring to them, just ask the mall authorities to take the guy's contact info and get in touch with you. That's not so complicated is it?

You could also: notify the police, or if you were feeling more generous maybe post notices somewhere close by or on craigslist.

But at least letting the mall know you'd found it seems not that difficult or time consuming. And might make a huge, unalterable difference in someone else's life.

Honestly? If 90% of people wouldn't bother to take the 10 minutes to do that, I'm afraid. And I bet many or even most people would.

The idea is, you would at least TRY to return it to its rightful owner. If you didn't find the owner, you keep the ring in good conscience.

 

[psadmin]

Ladies and gentlemen,

Lets keep this on topic. This is about how to tell if it is a Real or Fake diamond ring.

Thank You,

Andrey
PS Admin

 

[DivaDiamond007]

If you''ve had it for two years then I doubt that you''d be able to find the owner - especially if you now live in a different city. If the "actual" owner was that worried about the ring I''m sure that they would have checked with the mall security and filed a police report or something along those lines. The ring could have been in that parking lot for six months for all you know. It wouldn''t hurt to call the mall and see if they have any information so I suppose it''s worth a shot but I truly doubt that they will know anything about it.

I''d take it to a jeweler and see what they can tell you about it. If it''s real then great- maybe have it reset into something more fitting for a woman. If not then oh well - not too much you can do. Let us know what happens!

Jess

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 7/16/2007 11:27:58 AM
Author: jcl49er
Well, I figured the morality police would respond but that's understandable.


It's not like I found it next to a car or anywhere in the vicinity of someone. This was at the far end of a mall parking lot when the mall was closed. No telling how long it had even been lying there on the ground. There would be virtually no way to find the owner of that ring even if I had wanted to. What good would it have done to give it to some help desk at the mall where some kid making $8/hour is going to likely just pocket it? And I stashed it into a drawer for 2 years so it's obvious I wasn't dashing off to a jeweler right after I found it to cash in on someone else's misfortune. It has been two years and I don't even live in the city I found it in (which was a huge city) so it would be rather difficult to find its owner.


Look, I have very good morals, I go to church every single week (not that that matters these days) and I believe in right/wrong. But given the circumstances, I don't feel that I did anything that 90% of people wouldn't do. I'm almost certain it's fake but if it's real, I'll make a charitable contribution if it will make you feel any better. Sheesh...

Actually, I dont go to church or temple or the mosque at all, but I would have called the mall security/offices and told them that I'd found a ring and if anyone calls to look for it, to call me. I wouldn't have given it to the security because you're right, they might take it anyway. But I would have made an effort, regardless if it's real or not. Why not call the mall and see if anyone was ever looking for a ring like that? That said, it's rather horrifying that you took a knife and tried to cut it. Just take it to a local shop and ask them to check if it's real.

 

[echelon6]

Apply a blowtorch flame directly onto the stone. If it''s diamond, it should start to burn

Glass etc wont burn and have melting points in the thousands of K.

 

[Circe]

Knives and blowtorches - it's like the Spanish Inquisition around here!

One easy home test that won't damage the diamond (and, when you're not sure, better to play it safe - a knife or the old glass test probably won't hurt a diamond, but might hurt the setting, stone if it's softer, your mirror, or, well, you if the knife slips) is to take a diamond, hold it next to the "diamond" in question, and huff your breath across both of them: fakes take longer to lose the haze of condensation. Unset, you can see newsprint clearly through a fake (or through glass). Either way, the visual difference is generally pretty clear - fakes throw back more in the way of pastel refraction than diamonds do. But the easiest thing to do would be to take it to a jeweler and ask ... though, I'm with you, odds of a diamond or even white sapphires being set in 10K are somewhere between slim and none.

 

[Nicrez]

I know you want an easy method to determine authenticity at home. Sometimes it's as obvious as the glaringly fake details of a ring, but some are as realistic as the originals, and some custume jewlery is even finished in 14-18K gold. A gemologist is the only way to get a true answer, because they would get the refractive index on the stones and determine if they are indeed diamond or not. If the stones where unset, you could easily tell by weight as man made stones are heavier at the same diameters.

First what you CAN do, is check the metal for a gold karat stamp. Anything that says 10K or 14K or 18K. Does the ring have any stamps or hallmarks? Check with a loupe or magnifying glass. See what you find, and let us know. Sometimes there are other marks, especially if it is not American made. Makers marks or importation marks. Metal can also have different marks in Europe where you see a picture instead of a number, like here in the US. Certain marks mean certain metals.

As for the stone, if you can use a loupe or microscope, check the facets of the stones and see if they are sharp or abraided. Are the facet junctions (where the facets meet) rounded at all? Usually this denotes a fake if they are rounded, as a diamond is known to have sharper facet junctions, HOWEVER I have seen some that just had poor polishing and LOOKED rounded. But as a general rule, if almost ALL the facets are rounded at the junction, good chance is that it is fake.

But for the most accurate answer a Gemologist is equipped with the tools to determine authenticity and the requisite knowledge to know hallmarks, and will know where to check and what to check. Plus a gemologist can tell you the approximate value and the weights and colors of the stones within a range if they are set. And that can be good news for you. Good luck.

 

[jcl49er]

Thank you to those who actually responded to my initial question without persecuting me. Some of it was very informative, even if I hadn''t found a ring. I guess I''ll just have to go through life with an inferiority complex to the other posters, who apparently have better morals than me.

But FYI, I have occasionally found things that didn''t belong to me and returned them. Not too long ago, I found a very expensive cell phone along a walking trail with only one contact number in the address book. I tracked her down and found out it was the daughter of the person it belonged to. I gave her my number to give to her father who later called me. I even drove 15 miles to a spot near his house to return it. He offered me $50 in cash as a thank you gesture which I refused to take a penny of. That''s how I tend to live my life. So, I''m not some terrible person. But under the circumstances of the ring and me initially assuming it was fake, I just didn''t feel it warranted doing anything with it. Hence why I just tossed it in a drawer for years. Anyway, I don''t really feel I need to explain myself but I don''t particularly care for people to misjudge my character. I should have just not posted it on here. I had such a great experience on here when I was seeking help with a stone/setting but now I have an entirely different impression of this place.

 

[surfgirl]

You have to understand that this place is full of people with opinions. That's why you came here in the first place - to seek the opinions of those that post here. And in doing so, one cannot dictate which opinions people will share at any given moment. I'm sorry you feel the remarks questioning why you didn't try to seek the ring's owner were so offensive but I think, under the circumstances and given the topical nature of this board, it is entirely understandable that people would say "Hey! Didn't you try to find the owner?" since many here have lost their own rings in the past. The way one reacts to such a comment/query is perhaps even more important that the question that is asked...and goes a long way towards how others continue such conversational threads and the overall tone. As the saying goes, "you catch more flies with honey"...or is that bees? I can never remember my sayings very well!

 

[diamondfan]

I am not here to pass judgement, but what I would have done is gone to the mall the next day, or called them, and ask them to post a sign saying "RING FOUND AT MALL. IF YOU HAVE LOST A RING, PLEASE CALL XXX-XXXX. I would then keep the ring, and allow whoever called to describe it. You could have them call the mall office and they could then call you so no one would have your phone number needlessly. If no one called for a period of time, I think there is a legal time limit where the item then becomes yours if no one claims it. I would not have handed it over to anyone, but...I might have tried that. I am reminded of the Brady Bunch episode where Peter finds a wallet and it some old man''s life savings and they return it to the right owner...anyway, I know there is not a lot you could have done, it could have been there for months etc, but at least this way you tried, no harm if no one claims it, then it is finder''s keepers.

 

[jstarfireb]

There is some sort of tool that jewelers use to make sure a diamond is real. Here are some examples. They touch it to the diamond and it gives a readout...I have NO clue how it works or what it really tells you, but if you''ve ever seen a jeweler touch a pen-like tool to a diamond after taking it out of the case to show it to you, that''s it. I returned a diamond ring to Costco once and they used that to make sure I didn''t switch out the diamond for a fake. Anyway, not saying you should necessarily invest in one of these for the ring you found, but if you take it to a jeweler, they may be able to test it for you. I think Jared''s uses them for example.

 

[Kaleigh]

Take it to a jeweler that as a diamond tester. It only takes a second or two. HTH, let us know what you find out.

Keeping my trap shut on the other issue.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I am not here to judge...
Just take it to a jeweler and see what they say. Good luck.

 

[Nicrez]

Date: 7/16/2007 10:49:51 PM
Author: jstarfireb
There is some sort of tool that jewelers use to make sure a diamond is real. Here are some examples. They touch it to the diamond and it gives a readout...I have NO clue how it works or what it really tells you, but if you've ever seen a jeweler touch a pen-like tool to a diamond after taking it out of the case to show it to you, that's it. I returned a diamond ring to Costco once and they used that to make sure I didn't switch out the diamond for a fake. Anyway, not saying you should necessarily invest in one of these for the ring you found, but if you take it to a jeweler, they may be able to test it for you. I think Jared's uses them for example.

Won't help on some fakes. Iit will not determine if the diamonds are HPHT, Fracture filled, lab created or what have you...if they are diamonds. Also things a gemologist will check for.

The Presiudim tester is just a charge of heat that runs through the diamond which tests it's thermal conductivity. Every diamond has a distinguishable conductivity that seperates it from the lower conductivities of the diamond simulants. Moissanite has the same rate as diamond, but incidentally so do the metal prongs holding a diamond in place, so accidental reading on some fakes have been known to happen when a tester doesn't understand or is careless...

For $125 it would be easier to just head to a gemologist and verify.