When purchasing any fun costume pieces or any other jewelry item, you will notice that every item in any jewelry collection has different markings over it.
Generally, the most common trademark stamps or hallmarks that you would find on any jewelry piece indicate essential information about that specific item, including the jeweler, trademarks, carat weight, metals, manufacturer, designer, or metal stamp.
These markings give you a clue about the history and overall value of your favorite jewelry pieces.
You may have come across the mark ‘925’ on a few items that may leave you puzzled when trying to figure out its meaning.
In this write-up, we will look at what this mark means and explore a few ways through which you can tell whether 925 diamonds are real or fake.
What is the 925 stamp inside my diamond ring?
The 925 stamp inside your diamond ring means that it is made with 925 sterling silver.
Pure Silver, which is 999 on the millesimal fineness scale, is mixed with a different base alloy to make it stronger.
When combined with the alloy, it becomes .925 silver, otherwise known as Sterling Silver.
Would a jeweler ever mount a real diamond on a 925 silver?
If you insisted on it, a jeweler would mount a real diamond on a 925 silver. Diamonds come in a vast range in terms of price and variety, so it is indeed acceptable to set in 925 silver.
However, they will try to talk you out of it. Generally, silver is a noble metal like platinum and gold. Many designers tend to use more silver with diamonds, partly because of the huge rise in gold prices.
In as much so, silver is quite brittle than any other metal, so it is not the best for very large stones. It is too soft that if you tried to mount a center stone in it, it would fall off the first time it gets hit.
Most jewelers will suggest that you change the head to white gold to protect the center stone from falling out. Despite this, silver is the most reflective precious metal in the jewelry world, and it has a different look from platinum or white gold.
Are 925 diamonds real?
One of the fascinating movements in the jewelry industry is diamonds set in sterling silver. It came about the time gold prices went to around $1,800/oz.
During this time, fine jewelry manufacturers had to scramble to find a way to maintain their market share without pricing themselves out of the market. Diamond cluster rings, or fashion rings, were then re-fashioned out of silver and afterward set with lower-quality diamonds.
To add to that, jewelers realized that gold wasn’t the most-sought-after jewel anymore, and most people needed another way to beautify themselves. Based on that explanation, diamonds are set in sterling silver, and the whole concept came about due to the high price of gold. Cluster designs of small-sized diamonds are the limit to which diamonds in silver can justify their cost. Solitaire designs feature a minimum of either 9 or 10K gold. So, if you come across any jeweler offering you 0.5 ct solitaire in silver, chances are it is a faux diamond. However, if it is a cluster, then you may be dealing with real diamonds.
Also, you should know that silver isn’t the best setting for diamonds. So, there are times when the stone on your ring may be Cubic Zirconia instead of real diamonds.
That said, it would be a good idea to test the authenticity of the diamonds on your engagement ring from a reputable jeweler. If you want to take the risk, scratch your ring across a piece of glass and check whether you will notice a strong mark.
How to tell if .925 silver ring diamonds are real
When any reputable jewelry manufacturing company makes an engagement ring or any other fashion ring, they will always engrave its inside layer with the corresponding mark for easier identification.
For sterling silver, they will use the .925 hallmark. In as much so, it may be pretty hard to tell whether your diamond ring is real if it is not marked. Also, it is difficult to verify its authenticity when it has a stamp, but fake. That is when it is made by an unreputable jeweler committing fraud.
That said, you may have noticed that there are plenty of fake diamonds sold in the jewelry industry. Just for that reason alone, you may find yourself questioning whether every diamond ring you come across is the real thing.
Also, most jewelry appraisers tend to lie about the authenticity of a diamond. They can even go to an extent where they change out a real diamond and place a fake one in your ring. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of your engagement ring, here are a few simple tests that may clear your doubts;
1. Use newsprint to confirm the authenticity of your diamond ring
Take your diamond ring and place the diamond stone over the newsprint. If you can read the newsprint through the diamond, you are dealing with a fake one.
Generally, real diamonds scatter light. When this happens, the newspaper becomes challenging to read.
Shallow cut and small diamonds, however, are slightly transparent. So, the newspaper test may not be the best option for you.
2. Use a fluorescent light to check whether the diamond is real
Put the diamond stone under a fluorescent light, then check through it. If the diamond is genuine, it should give off a blue-like reflection.
A yellow, gray, or green light ray will appear if your ring is made from Moissanite, a diamond’s duplicate.
If there is no reflection, your engagement ring may have a different stone. Some higher quality stones do not reflect any color.
Sometimes, however, a bluish ray of light won’t always mean that it is a diamond.
3. Verify the stamp on your diamond ring
A hallmark is one of the simplest ways to confirm the authenticity of your ring.
That said, you should check the stamp on your diamond ring.
You will find s stamp on the inside of the band that tells you whether your diamond ring has silver or gold.
4. Fog the stone with your mouth to confirm its authenticity
Place your diamond ring in front of your mouth, then slowly fog it with your breath.
If the fog sticks to the stone for a prolonged period, it is a fake diamond.
Real diamonds have high thermal conductivity.
For this reason, the mist wouldn’t stay on them for too long.
5. Take your ring to an appraiser
The best way to find out whether your diamond ring is real is to consult a professional jeweler.
Have the appraiser check the authenticity of the diamond stone physically so that you can ask questions if need be.
However, it may cost you a small fee to do this.
Conclusion
Diamonds set in gold or platinum are among the best versions of engagement rings in the jewelry world.
But, diamond clusters set in sterling silver gives you the option to wear luxury without breaking the bank!
Read more diamond ring related topics here or visit our home page to read new posts!
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.