How to Check if Your Diamond is Real: Diamond Testers

  There are mainly two types of diamond testing tools – thermal conductivity testers and electrical conductivity testers. Both work on distinct principles and can be used to distinguish diamonds from other gemstones.

Thermal Conductivity Testers: Diamonds have a high rate of thermal conductivity. This means they are able to conduct or transfer heat better than many other gemstones. A thermal conductivity tester works by applying a small amount of heat to the gemstone and hen measuring how quickly it disperses this heat. If the stone disperses the heat rapidly, it's likely a diamond.

Electrical Conductivity Testers: Unlike thermal testers, electrical conductivity testers (often called a 'Moissanite tester') work on the principle of measuring the gemstone's ability to conduct electricity. This is particularly helpful to distinguish diamonds from moissanite, a gemstone that can closely resemble diamond but has a markedly different electrical conductivity.

  Moissanite is electrically conductive, and this property can be utilized to distinguish it from diamonds using a tester designed for that purpose. When tested, a diamond will not conduct electricity while a moissanite will, thus enabling an accurate identification.

  Remember that not all diamond testers have an electrical conductivity testing function. Therefore, if you want to specifically distinguish moissanite from diamond, you need to ensure your tester has this capability.

  Both testers serve their purpose, but neither can tell the difference between a natural diamond and a lab-grown diamond because both types of diamonds have identical physical and chemical properties. However, in recent years, devices have been developed that can distinguish between natural and lab-grown diamonds based on the presence of certain inclusions or growth patterns specific to lab-grown stones.

  Diamond testers are tools used by jewelers to confirm the authenticity of a diamond. They work by measuring the rate at which heat moves through a stone. This is known as thermal conductivity.

  Diamonds, whether they are mined from the earth or grown in a lab, have very high thermal conductivity. This means that they quickly disperse heat. Other gemstones or materials, like glass or cubic zirconia, don't disperse heat as well. So, when a diamond tester is used on a diamond, it quickly registers the high rate of heat dispersal.

  Since lab-grown diamonds and mined diamonds are made of the same material, carbon, they both disperse heat at the same rate. This is why a diamond tester would show that a lab-grown diamond is a "real" diamond - because, chemically and physically, it is.

  It's also worth noting that while diamond testers can confirm that a stone is a diamond, they can't differentiate between a lab-grown diamond and a mined diamond. This is because the thermal conductivity is the same in both types of diamonds. Specialized equipment and knowledge are required to distinguish between lab-grown and mined diamonds. This equipment examines features such as growth patterns and inclusions that can be different in lab-grown diamonds compared to their mined counterparts.

  A diamond testing pen, also known as a diamond tester, is a portable device used to distinguish diamonds from other simulated gemstones. It operates on the principle of thermal conductivity, which is the ability of a material to conduct heat.

  Diamonds, due to their unique physical properties, have a very high level of thermal conductivity. A diamond tester exploits this property by directing a small amount of heat towards the gemstone and measuring how quickly the heat is dispersed.

Here's how it works in a bit more detail:

The tip of the diamond tester is placed on the gemstone.

The tester sends a small amount of heat into the gemstone.

The device then measures how quickly the heat is dispersed.

If the heat disperses quickly, the tester will indicate that the gemstone is a diamond.

  If the heat disperses slowly or not at all, the tester will indicate that the gemstone is not a diamond.

It's important to note, however, that while a diamond tester can tell you if a stone is a diamond or not, it cannot tell the difference between a natural diamond and a lab-grown diamond. Both types of diamonds have the same physical properties and will test positive as a diamond.