Guest post: Six Methods to Check if You Bought Real or Fake Jewelry

It’s the season of giving (and splurging)! So, have you thought of items to spend on your loved ones or yourself? Have you browsed through available skin care products or makeup kits online? Or maybe you’ve been eyeing those beautiful earrings from your favorite shopping app? If so, are you having second thoughts if the named price just seemed too good to be true for you to get a supposedly real diamond piece? 

If buying an authentic jewelry piece online sounds like something you’re planning on doing, perhaps you have some worries that you wouldn’t be getting the original product that you were promised. You know what? That’s completely understandable. 

Unlike buying jewelry from a store in-person, buying them online can be much more complex. You won’t get to inspect a piece up close until it gets delivered to you. Still, the fear of being duped should not deter you from buying your favorite pair of earrings or ring conveniently through online shopping, especially since there are some ways that you can check your purchased items. With that, here are some methods that you can do to check if the jewelry you got is authentic or not. 

Read about the return policy 

Before trying out the different ways you can test if a piece of jewelry is authentic once you have it on hand, you should first consider something prior to placing your order: the product’s return policy. Think about it - you wouldn’t even be able to do anything even if you figured out that the jewelry is fake if the seller does not allow you to return it. 

More often than not, if an online store or seller does not allow you to return their product (should you find any defects or are unsatisfied with its quality), they’re not being honest about their product description. Likewise, maybe they’re intentionally selling fake jewelry. From that alone, you can get an idea about what kind of jewelry they’re selling and whether you should push through with ordering one. 

Do the magnet test

If an online seller does provide a coherent return policy and you’ve decided to push through with your order, you can then proceed with some tests that you can perform at home. One of the most popular ones is the magnet test. This can help you know if the gold ring or necklace is made of real gold. 

Most precious metals, like silver and gold, are nonmagnetic. So with that, if you’ve got a magnet lying around your house, you can hold it close to your jewelry item and see if it's drawn. If they do stick to the magnet, the seller that claims to sell legitimate gold or silver needs to explain a few things and should expect their product to be returned to them. 

Check the branding

This method isn’t exactly a “test” but is more of an observation of the piece’s details. This is especially important if you’ve bought a piece that the seller claims to be an original item from a well-known jewelry store. 

Most branded pieces come with their own hallmarks, especially those from high-end brands, as this help avoid fake copies. You can look closely (or use a magnifying glass, if you have one) to check the hallmark of your ordered item. For example, a supposedly big-brand pair of earrings with a misspelled word or strange font as the hallmark should raise suspicion. 

Perform the fog test

If you’ve bought a diamond jewelry piece, you can try the fog test. Basically, you breathe on your piece but make sure that it is clean beforehand. Real diamonds conduct heat, so moisture does not stay on the surface too long. In short, if the diamond is real, it shouldn’t fog up for more than a few seconds. If it does, it’s most likely not a real diamond. 

It’s important to note, however, that this test isn’t the most accurate one. There’s no set time to determine how long fog should stay on the surface of a diamond, so if you have access to equipment to conduct a more accurate thermal test, that would be the better option. 

Examine the gem’s sharpness or roundness

Another way you can get an idea if you’ve got a real or fake diamond is by looking at its facet edges. If you have a magnifying glass, look closely at the diamond. If its edges are sharp, it’s real. On the other hand, if they're rounded, then they’re most likely fake. 

However, similar to the previous test, there are some things you need to keep in mind should you want to do this test. Diamonds aren’t always perfect, so specific chips or imperfections do not necessarily mean that the diamond is fake. Likewise, some diamond imitations can also have sharp facet edges. 

Find a professional jeweler or appraiser

As you can see, most of the tests have some downsides or are not entirely accurate. At the end of the day, there are only certain things that you can do on your own, and these won’t guarantee that your own observations are 100% correct (especially if you don’t have a solid background about gems). 

This is why the best way to ensure that the jewelry you receive is authentic and worth your money is by seeking help from a professional. 

At Willyn Villarica, a professional appraiser can give you accurate information about the jewelry piece that you’ve bought. They’ve got the necessary equipment and knowledge that would allow them to determine if you’ve received a piece made with real gold or diamond and if you’ve paid for the amount that they’re actually worth. 

Considering these methods when receiving the jewelry you ordered online can help you decide if you got what you’ve paid for. If not, then don’t hesitate to send it back to the seller. It might seem like extra stress to go through some of these procedures, but it’s definitely worth ensuring that your online shopping experience isn’t just convenient but also secure. 

Till next time,