How To Tell If Your Inherited Diamonds Are The Real Thing

If your grandmother left you some diamond jewelry, and you are thinking about selling it, you should make sure they are real diamonds and not paste. It was quite common to sell costume jewelry with paste diamonds back in your grandma's day. She may have just left you with a token of her affection and not really anything of value. Here is how you can know for sure before you try to sell the diamonds.

Diamonds Cut Glass, Not the Other Way Around

If they are real diamonds, you should be able to scratch any glass surface with the diamonds.

  1. Find yourself a mirror or window glass and turn the faceted head of the diamond onto it.
  2. Push hard while moving up and down or side to side. You should hear a scratching sound, like something dragging sharp nails across the glass.
  3. Pick the diamond up and look at it.
  4. Then look at the glass. The glass should have several scratches in it where the diamond scraped by it.
  5. The diamond itself should be completely unaffected. Then you know you have a real diamond.
  6. If the reverse is true, where the "diamond" is affected and the glass is barely scratched, you have paste, not diamonds.

Repeat this process with the rest of the diamonds you inherited to make sure they are all real and that Grandma did not replace missing stones with paste.

Have Them Appraised

If you are willing to pay the appraisal fees, then this is another way to tell if you have real diamonds or paste fakes. It is unfortunate if they turn out to be paste because then you just paid good money to have the fake jewelry assessed, but at least you would know what you have. On the other hand, if the diamonds are real, then the appraiser can tell and tell you exactly what he/she thinks the stones are worth. Then you can take the appraisal sheet anywhere diamonds for sale are, and try to sell your inheritance for cash.

Selling Your Diamond Inheritance

If you have decided that you are going ahead and selling the real diamonds you inherited, be sure to sell them for as close to fair market value as you can. Most buyers will want to buy for less so they can turn a profit when they sell the diamonds to other customers. However, there is always room to haggle the price and get it as close to the full value as you can. Contact a buyer, like Rocky Mountain Gold & Silver Exchange, for more help.


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