It’s finally happened! Your partner got down on one knee, opened that little velvet box, and asked you to marry them. And although you love the ring on your finger, you do want to be sure that what you’re wearing is a real diamond and not a convincing fake – for insurance reasons if nothing else.

But the fakes have gotten very convincing, and it can be hard to tell the real article from the imitations. Read on to learn how to tell if a diamond is real using a few different methods that won’t put your ring at risk.

Drop It in Water

One simple way to test whether your diamond is real or not is to drop it in a glass of water. It’s important to note that this will only work with loose diamonds. Metal will always sink, so this doesn’t work with diamonds in settings.

Real diamonds are denser than water, so they will always sink to the bottom of the glass. Some fake diamonds are less dense and so will float to the top of the glass. However, this is not a conclusive test, so even if your diamond does sink, you may want to do one of these other tests as well.

Shine a Blacklight on It

Another easy test that won’t put your ring at risk is to shine a blacklight on it. Blacklights work for items that contain something called phosphors, which absorb UV radiation and convert it into visible light. This causes things like teeth, fingernails, and bodily fluids to fluoresce under black light.

Some real diamonds contain phosphors, which means they will fluoresce under black light. Fake diamonds do not have this property and will not fluoresce, so if a ring fluoresces, you know it’s real. But again, not all diamonds contain phosphors, so even if it doesn’t fluoresce, that doesn’t always mean it’s fake.

Weigh It

One of the most reliable ways to tell if a diamond is real or fake is to weigh it. Once more, this only works with loose diamonds, since it’s impossible to account for the weight of the setting with enough precision to tell the difference. And you will need an incredibly precise scale – ideally one that is designed to weigh diamonds – for this to work.

Real diamond will weigh less than fake diamonds and, more importantly, will correspond with the amount that should line up with that size, cut, and shape. A fake diamond will weigh as much as 55 percent more for the same size and shape of diamond. But the differences will be minute, so you’ll need a very delicate scale to use this method.

Learn How to Tell If a Diamond Is Real

In truth, the only reliable method for how to tell if a diamond is real is to take it to an experienced gemologist. But some of these tests can give you a good idea, too. If your stone is passing all the right tests, there’s a good chance that what you have on your hand is a genuine diamond.

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