The article outlines ways to assess whether a diamond is genuine without damaging the stone or its setting. It stresses that natural and laboratory-grown diamonds are both real diamonds, while cubic zirconia and moissanite are simulants, and says home tests can offer clues but not certainty.

It recommends cleaning and inspecting the stone in neutral light, trying a gentle fog test, using a 10x loupe, and checking the jewellery’s metal markings. These methods can be affected by dirt, lighting, mounting and individual stone characteristics, so professional testing is advised when an accurate identification is important.