How To Identify a Raw Diamond: 3 Easy Methods to Know
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How To Identify a Raw Diamond: 3 Easy Methods to Know

It is easy to recognize a cut diamond, but many people would not be able to identify a raw diamond prices. Uncut rough diamonds or natural diamonds look like water worn quartz pebbles. So for people who want to know how to detect it, there are numerous methods to accurately recognize raw and rough diamonds.

To identify whether the stone is a natural diamond or fake. Go For the scratch test, take corundum, another form of crystal that is less hard than Diamond. Put the corundum on the hard surface and grab it tightly. Rub the assumed Diamond against the corundum. If it leaves a scratch on the corundum, the crystal is Diamond.

In this guide, we will state three quick and stress-free ways to detect whether the stone is a diamond or not. So do follow the article to get the details about it.

About Raw Diamonds

The uncut form of fine diamonds is called raw or rough diamonds because it has no specific shape or size by a professional cutter. When you dig out the natural diamonds, they look like pale-colored and colorless glass pebbles. These stones are not too shiny because of their oily appearance. However, the raw diamonds have gemstone quality which can be mistaken by people who don’t know about these valuable stones.

  • Gem- is another name of diamond which is precious or semiprecious stone used for ornaments.

Process of Raw Diamond 

Most diamonds in the world are formed closed to the kimberlite pipes. This place is the most ancient geologically firm area of a continent where igneous rocks or magma rocks hold olivine. Here in kimberlite pipes, the stones declined and eroded thousands of years ago in the past time.

Moreover, in the kimberlite pipe, it is also created when the movement of tectonic plates makes the earth’s crust deeply. This motion produces heat and pressure, which are needed to convert the carbon into diamonds. Some other ways that can lead to the process of diamonds include; high pressure in metamorphic rocks, lamproite rocks, and meteorites.

Different Kinds of Raw Diamond

Around the world, you will find different kinds of raw diamonds. From this point, most people go ahead to cut them and obtain refined ones. Let’s discuss it in detail.

 Natural Raw Diamonds

These are the ones that mining industries erase from the earth. Although, the gems are expensive because of all processes involved in getting them from their sources. Then, companies mine these diamonds in their raw state. Below are the most popular ones.

  • Sergio is the biggest rough diamond crystal ever on earth. It weighs 3,167 carats. Sadly, you can only use it for industrial reasons and not to make jewelry.
  • Tiffany Yellow Diamond– it’s also the famous gemstone with a weight of 287.4 carats; this is one of the greatest yellow diamonds ever to exist. You can use it for both jewelry and industrial purposes.
  • Cullinan Diamond- this gemstone is one of the most precious in the world. It weighs 3,106.75 carats, and you can use it in the industrial and jewelry sectors.
  • However, Taylor-Burton Diamond is not the largest, but many people love it. At first, before being cut, it weighed 241 carats.
  • Salt & Raw Pepper Diamonds- These gems are also rough diamonds, so don’t be shocked. The difference is that they have many colors, such as non-clear and grey. Rose-cut stone come from raw salt & pepper diamonds. Although, they lack a huge surface area which can make you doubt them to be natural diamonds.

However, these are few raw diamonds, but you will encounter many more gemstones worldwide.

Lab Raw Diamonds

These raw diamonds came from lab processes, meaning their mining costs are not involved. Remember that they are not fake rough gem as they have similar features to the natural diamonds extracted from the Earth.

Fortunately, these diamonds have more advantages as compared to natural ones.

Hence, lab-grown gems are cheap, budget-friendly, and free from ethical issues.

How Do You Identify a Raw Diamond – 3 Methods Application

found how to identify a raw diamond

It is easy to determine a refined diamond, while many people cannot recognize whether the raw gem is real or not. So it is hard to find rough diamonds. Here are some tips and methods we shared to determine natural or rough gems.

To know whether the raw Diamond is real or fake, we have shared the methods to detect it. In the first Method, we guide you about physical and geological properties of raw diamonds, and in the second Method, how you can detect them at your home. On the other side, we will also tell you the third Method that tells you the authenticity of raw diamonds.

Physical Properties to Detect the Raw diamonds – 1st Method

If you have a refined or raw diamond and want to identify and detect whether it is accurate or not. Check its physical and geographical properties. So if you want to determine the properties, do follow the multiple steps below.

  • Crystal Arrangement

The crystallinity of the stone is the most essential thing if you want to determine the rough Diamond. So diamonds gemstones are naturally formed in the octahedral crystal shape while other gemstones are included in a hexagonal shape.

Octahedral shape: (It is an atomic shape of a compound that contains six atoms that are correspondingly organized around a significant atom).

The gemstones are frequently fused with raw diamonds. So you can possibly identify whether the stone is Diamond or fake by differentiating its crystal form arrangements.

  • Crack of stone

Whenever the natural gems are broken, the sides create a smooth and plane surface. Glass and fake diamonds’ sides will make uneven and curved surfaces when they break.

  • Gravity

You can use a gravity-purpose tool to ensure and identify the seriousness of a raw diamond. The gravity property of diamonds helps to detect and separate them from gemstones. The raw Diamond has a specific gravity in the ratio of 3:1 to 3:5. At the same time, the gemstone’s gravity is less than the Diamond’s 2:6 to 2:7.

  • Hardness

Diamonds are the hardest minerals found on the globe. On the corundum, scale diamonds are ranked at 10. In comparison, all the rubies and sapphires are ranked nine on the scale. If you want to identify the hardness of a gem so, test the scratching corundum.

  • Heat Conductivity

All gemstones and diamonds are heat absorbers. You can detect the raw gem through heat conduct testing. This test shows that the Diamond scatters the heat more efficiently than the transparent stone. You can use a gem testers to detect it effectively.

Perform the Test at Home to Recognize Raw Diamonds – 2nd Method

You can do these quick tests at home to identify if the stone is a raw gem or a fake rock. So, Try these accessible examinations at your home.

  • Count the sides

The visual test is a quick way, but it is not a definitive test. Look at the downside of the crystal and count the number of sides. If there are four crystal sides, it may be a diamond, but if it has six sides, it means it is another stone. The diamonds are cubic in shape, although the gemstones are hexagonal.

  • Weight the Crystal

Suppose you have a gem and are unsure about it and want to check it at home. So at first, take an electric scale to weigh. Then put the gem on top of it and record the weight on the paper. You have a diamond if your crystal weight is 3.5 to 3.53 grams. If the weight of your crystal is less or more than 3.5 to 3.53 grams, it is not a diamond.

  • Check the Diamond in the U.V light

30% diamonds spark beneath a shortwave of ultraviolet (U.V) light. Place your stone under ultraviolet light to identify the natural or raw stone. If the stone glows, the blue light means it’s a natural diamond. The gem is fake if it sparks or shines in other colors like red, yellow, and orange.

  • Check Precipitation

Diamonds conduct the heat efficiently that’s why they disperse the heat rapidly. For checking, just hold the stone with your figure and breathe on it. Little precipitation or fog will form on the stone because of the moisture in your breath. So check if the fog will scatter immediately. It means the stone is a diamond. On the other hand, if the fog stays more than a few seconds, probably, it is not a gem.

High Accuracy Diamond Tester to Identify a Diamond – 3rd Method

To check whether the stone is a natural gem or fake, the diamond tester is the best choice for an accurate result. Most jewelers use this device to detect Diamond. On the device, a small tip you can see and put this tip on the stone to test if the stone is real gem, so the device indicates the sound signal or on its display. If you have no idea how the tester works and its feature, follow the below points.

  • A diamond tester discovers the rate of heat and how the heat travels through the stone. If the stone is Diamond, heat will pass differently.
  • This device also tests the electric rate conductivity and how it travels through the stone. The electric current will pass differently if it is a diamond.
  • The device also detects the metal. If it does not detect metal, the stone is a natural diamond.

Wrapping Up

Every stone that sparkles is not a diamond. This detailed article will give you an understanding of what to do when trying to identify a raw diamond. So let us know in the comment box if you know any other method to detect the suspected Diamond.

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