Fake Diamonds: Are Paris Hilton’s Pink Fancies The Real Thing?

If you are looking for an engagement ring, diamond stud earrings, or loose diamonds, make sure that you don’t end up with one of these.  Herkimer diamonds which might be cheaper than the real thing are not diamonds and will not give the same sparkle.

So, what do you need to know before you buy a diamond (or when you are given one!)  The information here refers to loose stones because it is easier to examine a loose stone, but the same rules apply to a diamond bought already fixed into a setting.

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If you are thinking about buying loose diamonds which are a much cheaper way of buying a gem stone to fit into an engagement ring, a wedding ring, or even getting a pair of stones for mounting as diamond stud earrings, proceed with caution.

Always get an official certificate to state the details of any stones you buy, in a setting, or loose. The document should give the details of the number of carats, cut, colour and the clarity of the stone. Take the stones to a reputable, trusted jeweller and have them examined to make sure they are what you think they are. Other stones may look just like diamonds to the uninitiated, but cubic zirconias are not diamonds, and neither is moissanite. As mentioned earlier, Herkimer Diamonds are not diamonds; they are a completely different mineral.

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Look at the cut of a loose diamond; the deeper the cuts have been made, the more the light will refract and stream through the stone to give it a wonderful sparkle. A shallow cut will produce a diamond that lacks a lot of sparkle. If you see the two different cuts together, the difference is immediately obvious. Technically the cut of a diamond refers to how deep the actual cut is, the quality of its polish which affects its brilliance, and so its price and its grade which is worked out according to its shape and the pattern of its facets.

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Loose diamonds (in common with those mounted in wedding rings, engagement rings and diamond stud earrings and other jewellery) are measured in carats.  One carat of diamond weighs 0.2 grams and each of these is split into smaller units called points. There are a hundred points in a gram.  Carats are not the same things as karats which are a measure of the purity of gold.

All diamonds contain minute traces of colour but the really valuable ones are those where the colour is imperceptible and the stone looks colourless. Very richly coloured diamonds are even more expensive because of their rarity. These are called Z+ diamonds and come in a variety of colours including yellow, red, pink, blue and black.

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Many celebrities like Jennifer Lopez who has a diamond named after her and Paris Hilton have set a trend by making diamonds very fashionable again. Both wear pink diamond, known in the trade as pink fancies. Make sure you know what to look for because you never know when you might get the chance to own one. I wonder if Paris Hilton knows the difference between a diamond, a cubic zirconia, and a Herkimer Diamond.