How to Identify a Raw Diamond

Were you ever curious if that pebble you discovered on your most recent trek may be your key to retiring early? There is a chance you can come across a raw diamond. However, there are higher chances of you not recognizing it as a raw diamond. Raw diamonds, also referred to as rough diamonds, are gems in their natural, uncut, and unpolished state, freshly extracted from the Earth.

Unlike polished diamonds, which exhibit a stunning sparkle and brilliance, raw diamonds possess a rugged exterior, often resembling ordinary rocks or pebbles. However, a closer look reveals their unique crystal structure, typically forming in shapes such as octahedrons or tetrahedrons.

It is important to identify raw diamonds correctly to determine their value, secure investments, and avoid fraud.

Read along to learn how to identify a raw diamond.

     Tools for Identifying Raw Diamonds

Natural raw diamonds differ from polished ones. These traits must be understood for identification.

• Crystal Form: Raw diamonds typically have a crystalline structure. Octahedral, dodecahedral, or cubic structures can be found. Natural diamonds look unusual in their crystal shape. A raw diamond can also be triangular, round or irregular shaped like a pebble. The triangular shapes are known as ‘trigons,’.

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• Surface Texture: Natural diamonds have rough, unpolished outsides, while polished diamonds have smooth, shiny outsides. This surface texture shows how they were found on the earth in their original state.

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• Color and Clarity: Contaminants and flaws can make a rough diamond look cloudy, opaque, or see-through. It could be clear, dark, yellow, or even green. It's important to know that rough diamonds don't usually shine as brightly as cut diamonds, which makes them hard to identify.

     Tools for Identifying Raw Diamonds

You might wonder how to identify a raw diamond after discovering a potential diamond. The answer is whether you are a professional or a hobbyist; you will need tweezers, a loupe, a microscope, and the proper lighting to identify and grade raw diamonds. You will also require two more essential pieces of equipment: a spectroscope and a refractometer.

1. Loupe or Microscope: A loupe or a microscope is a magnifying tool that is used for the examination of surface characteristics and internal structures of raw diamonds to help in the identification of inclusions and crystal formations.

2. UV Light: The purpose of UV light is to show the fluorescence of a raw diamond, which is an important criterion to determine whether the diamond is an imitation or not and provide information about its composition.

3. Thermal Conductivity Tester: It is the device that measures the heat conductivity of a diamond. This property is the one that makes the diamond different from other gemstones and materials.

     Identification of a Raw Diamond

Here are several common methods for identifying and differentiating rough diamonds from other diamonds.

1. Hardness Test

The scratch test can identify raw diamonds from other materials by hardness. The hardest material is diamonds, which are 10 on the Mohs scale. So, diamonds can scratch all other materials without harming themselves. A glass or quartz scratch test can find a raw diamond. Similar hardness minerals like moissanite may need further testing.

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2. Scratch Test

Diamonds as precious stones cannot be scratched and are known for their hardness. You can easily perform the scratch test with the help of a material like corundum. After scratching both corundum and diamond with each other, if the potential diamond leaves a scratch on the other material, then what you have is a raw diamond.

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3. Density Test

Rough diamonds are authenticated by their density. Diamond's specific gravity is 3.1–3.53 g/cm3. An electric scale and a container of water can be used to calculate the stone's specific gravity by weighing it in air and then in water. If the result matches the diamond's specific gravity, you can identify it.

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4. Heat Conductivity Test

Diamonds are one of the best heat conductors among all minerals and synthetic stones. A thermal conductivity tester can be used to test the diamond's ability to conduct heat. Did the stone quickly disperse the heat? Then it is probably a raw diamond.

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4. Visual Inspection

Rough cut diamonds are often covered with dirt or stones. Bright light and a jeweler's loupe can look at the stone closely to see what are its characteristics. An uncut diamond can have a rough crystalline structure made of the octahedral molecular, which is the structuring of the carbon atomic arrangement of a diamond in a pattern similar to two pyramids connected at the base.

     What to Do if You Find a Raw Diamond

• If you think you have a natural diamond, be careful with it.
• Limit your contact with it so that it remains undamaged and unpolluted, and see a certified gemologist for professional verification.
• Do not try to cut or change the diamond because this can greatly reduce its value.
• Although a scratch test may provide some information, it is not a definite answer; therefore, you should use it together with other tests for a more accurate evaluation or visit a professional.
• Seek professional help to grade the diamond to assess its value.
• Store it securely, and make sure you have insurance for it.
• At last, choose between keeping it as a keepsake or a store of value or selling it to a jeweler.