How to identify the real diamond

A diamond is one of the most valuable gemstones known today.  It has been used since the ancient times by shamans, leaders of tribes, royalties, dignitaries, dictators, revolutionary individuals, wealthy citizens and the like.  Its earliest documented records were found in the Sanskrit texts in India. Due to its cunning features and valuableness, this elegant gemstone has spread all over the world starting from India to China, Ancient Rome, South Africa and Brazil.  However, it is so rare and very difficult to find that a lot of powerful men enslaved their people just to get a piece of this priceless stone (e.g. "blood diamond" in Africa).  As the twentieth century unfolded, chemists and scientists started to create a man-made diamond wherein it was chemically produced.  This synthetic diamond is worth much lower than the naturally made ones but it is still valuable.  Identifying a real diamond can be a bit tricky especially when you are new to this kind of thing.

• A refracted image.  Get a newspaper, a magazine or a book.  Put your diamond on the surface and try to read through it, like a magnifying glass.  If you can actually see the letters quite clearly that you can read through the stone, then your diamond is not real.  A true diamond dramatically refracts the light so much that you will not be able to see through an image or text at all.
• Breathe through it.  Due to its natural composition, it is a superb conductor of heat.  Try breathing through it and check if condensation appears.  If it does, then you have a fake diamond.
• Sparkly or not?  Put your diamond up against the light.  Carefully scrutinize it by checking how it sparkles in different angles.  A fake diamond should only sparkle at a certain angle while a real one will just shine all over, regardless of what angle!
• An imperfect stone.  Check the overall physical attributes of your stone.  A real diamond should have some imperfections in the shape and surface.  If you see a perfectly smooth gem, you are probably holding a fake one.

These are the things that you need to do effectively determine if the stone that you are looking at is truly a diamond.  It would also be a great idea if you take your diamond to a certified gemologist (a person who deals with natural and artificially made stones) to further identify its true value. Now what are you waiting for?  Just start following these very simple steps and you can never go wrong!  Remember, always be careful when you are about to buy this priceless stone by keeping a keen eye on its physical attributes.