Square Moissanite Studs
£111.46
2ct Moissanite Halo Ring
£185.82
Moissanite Teardrop Pendant
£276.02
3ct Moissanite Square Pendant
£192.86
Lab-created moissanite pieces from our collection — honestly labelled diamond alternatives
Whether it's an inherited ring or a second-hand find, "is this diamond real?" is a question worth answering carefully. Some popular home tests genuinely help, some are myths, and the definitive answer always comes from equipment. Here's the honest breakdown.
Home tests that give real clues
The fog test
Breathe on the stone as you would to fog a mirror. Diamond conducts heat extremely well, so the fog should clear almost instantly — within a second or two. On glass or cubic zirconia, the fog lingers noticeably longer. Caveat: moissanite also conducts heat well, so this test can't separate diamond from moissanite.
The newspaper (read-through) test
Place a loose, brilliant-cut stone face-down on printed text. A real diamond bends light so strongly that you shouldn't be able to read the print through it. If letters are clearly visible, it's likely glass or CZ. This only works on loose stones with a proper cut — not shallow or mounted ones.
The sparkle check
Diamonds return a balance of white brilliance and coloured fire. Glass and crystal look comparatively dull inside. Excessive, disco-ball rainbow flashes may point to moissanite, which has more than twice a diamond's fire — beautiful, but different.
Check the setting
Real diamonds are rarely set in worthless metal. Look for hallmarks: 585, 750, 950 or PLAT suggest the maker considered the stone valuable. A "diamond" glued into unmarked base metal deserves scepticism.
Tests to skip
The scratch test is a myth worth killing: yes, diamond scratches glass — but so do CZ, moissanite, sapphire and quartz, so it proves little and can damage your stone or its setting. And the water "float test" you'll see online is meaningless — density differences between stones of this size don't produce reliable results in a glass of water.
What professionals use
| Tool | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Thermal tester | Separates diamond from glass/CZ — but moissanite often passes as diamond |
| Electrical tester | Separates diamond from moissanite |
| Loupe (10x) | Natural inclusions, double refraction (moissanite), mould lines (glass) |
| Lab spectroscopy | Definitive ID, including natural vs lab-grown diamond |
A jeweller can usually run the first three in minutes, often free or for a small fee. For valuable stones, ask for a report from a recognised lab (GIA, IGI) — that certificate matters more to value than any verbal assurance.
The honest footnote
Remember that "not a diamond" doesn't automatically mean worthless or dishonest — moissanite, lab sapphire and CZ are legitimate stones when sold as what they are. The problem is only misrepresentation. Everything sparkling in our own collection is lab-created moissanite or cubic zirconia, and is labelled exactly that on every product page.