What Makes a Diamond Sparkle? Everything You Need to Know

Whether you’re a novice or an expert in gemology, people love knowing what makes a diamond sparkle—and determining whether or not that sparkle is real, or fake. Diamonds are the most sought after gem on earth, and nothing is quite as brilliant as their shine. However, achieving this brilliance is entirely dependent on the cut itself, and a gem that elegantly reflects light is a sure sign of expert craftsmanship. Still, with the amount of synthetic and faux diamonds floating around the market, which can often look the part as the real thing, it’s always the right move to take it a step further, and know the signs between a real diamond sparkle vs. a fake one.

Real Diamond Sparkle vs. Fake

To properly analyze the difference between a real diamond sparkle vs. a fake, let’s start with a little bit of science. What makes a diamond sparkle comes down to the cut, and the way a beam of light reflects off of a gem. When a beam of light hits a diamond, its speed slows down significantly more than in the air, and this difference of speed bends the light into various rainbows of color and streaks of brilliance. The sparkle you see when looking at a diamond is merely a reflection of this light, and those dark spots you see… well chances are that’s your own reflection blocking some of the light. So, how do we tell the difference?

Perhaps the easiest way to determine a real diamond sparkle vs. a fake is to have it surveyed by an expert, who should easily be able to tell the difference. However, many at-home diamond sparkle tests exist to help you determine the legitimacy of a gem without the need for professional help. These tests can be completed with minor inconvenience and at little cost, and most of the time are extremely accurate if performed correctly. Some of these tests include:

• Diamond Sparkle Test – The way a stone reflects and refracts light is a good indication of its authenticity. Since this natural light refraction cannot be altered, you should look for shades of gray in your sparkle analysis. If your stone is reflecting an array of iridescent colors, it most likely is synthetic.
• Sandpaper Test – For this test, simply rub the gritty side of a piece of sandpaper against the stone in question. Since diamonds are one of the world’s hardest materials, a real diamond will not be affected by this scratching. However, a fake diamond will show signs of wear.
• Read-through Test – This is a simple test that only calls for a piece of paper with readable black text. To perform, turn your stone upside down, and look through the upturned diamond to attempt to read the words. If the diamond is real, it will be impossible to see or read any of the text. If it’s fake, you will be able to make out the words to some extent, or read it completely.
• Water Test – All you need to do is here is place your diamond in a cup of water. If it sinks, it’s real, as diamonds have an incredibly high density. If it floats either at the top or somewhere in the middle, it very likely is fake.

What Diamond Cut Sparkles the Most?

The various types of diamond cuts have a large role to play in how well a diamond sparkles, and even the slightest difference in cut can bring massive changes to the shine and elegance. Two of the main cut styles that produce this sparkle include brilliant cut and step cut. A brilliant cut is where angular facets radiate out from a center point, and will most of the time be more sparkly than their counterpart. Step cuts, which have long, rectangular facets arranged in a square or rectangular fashion, have a more subtle, sophisticated flash. 

Hearts and Arrows diamonds also have a particularly brilliant shine. For this diamond cut, it has a particular cut pattern of faceting that you can see reflected in a diamond’s light return with a special scope, appearing in the shapes of hearts and arrows. These are among the most difficult cuts to achieve, and truly create a brilliant sparkle often unmatched with others.

Grunberger Diamonds

Grunberger Diamonds is the world’s producer of ideal cut diamonds, with over four generations of passionate precision that make our ideal cut diamonds pure perfection. Our Grunberger Precision Cut® diamonds are available in more than 40 different qualities, including Melee cut and other brilliant shines.

Our precision cut diamond services also extend to Hearts and Arrows, a unique cut considered among the hardest to achieve in the industry. Since these exclusive diamonds take three times longer to craft and much greater skill than other cuts, Grunberger Diamonds is proud to bring our experience and expertise, and maintain a commitment to excellence and precision in creating Hearts and Arrows diamonds along with our other services.

As a top-tier diamond service company, we provide personalized service by taking the time to understand each customer’s needs. With four sales offices across the world, our diamonds are delivered to each customer in the most efficient and safest way. 

If you’re interested in the ideal cut for your diamond, contact Grunberger Diamonds today to request a quote, or for any information regarding our products and services.