How to Independently Verify a Stone — Including Ours

Most jewellery sites would rather you didn't read this. We'd rather you did, because the alternative is a customer who half-believes us, and that's a worse position for both of us.

Here is how you check a stone yourself, what each method costs, and what it will and won't tell you.

The doubling test — free, takes thirty seconds

Moissanite is doubly refractive. Light entering it splits into two rays. Diamond is singly refractive and never does this. This is the most reliable observation an ordinary person can make without equipment.

How: Use a 10x jeweller's loupe — they cost very little. Look down through the top of the stone at a slight angle, focusing on the facet edges at the back of the stone, seen through the front.

What you'll see: in moissanite, those back facet edges appear doubled — two lines where there should be one. It's clearest at the pavilion facet junctions and easiest to see with the stone clean and well lit.

In diamond, they never double. This is a property of the mineral, not a matter of quality or origin.

If you buy from us and want to confirm the stone is moissanite, this is how — and you should get a clear yes.

Handheld testers

Thermal testers measure heat conductivity. These are the old "diamond testers", and moissanite passes them as diamond because its thermal conductivity is also high. A thermal-only tester cannot separate the two. If a seller shows you a tester reading "diamond" on a moissanite stone, they are either mistaken or relying on your not knowing this.

Combination testers measure both thermal and electrical conductivity. Moissanite conducts electricity; diamond generally does not. These separate the two reliably and are the standard tool now.

Where to get one used: almost any jeweller will test a stone in front of you, usually for nothing or for a small fee. We encourage you to do this. If a stone you bought from us tests as anything other than moissanite, we want to know before you do.

Laboratory reports

An independent gemmological laboratory will examine a stone and issue a document identifying it and describing its characteristics. This is the only method that produces evidence you can hand to someone else.

Cost varies by laboratory and by what you ask for, and it is often a significant fraction of the value of a stone in our price range. That's the honest reason most moissanite in this category isn't individually reported: the report can cost a meaningful share of what the piece costs.

What a report does and doesn't do: it identifies the material and describes the stone. It is not a valuation, and a report does not make a stone more valuable — it makes what you own documented.

What our stones come with — and what they don't

Plainly:

• Our stones are moissanite. We say so on every product page.
• They do not come with an independent laboratory report.
• We do not publish a colour or clarity grade, because we don't have each stone independently graded. Publishing a grade we hadn't earned would be a claim we couldn't support.
• Any statement of authenticity we provide is our own statement, not a third-party certificate. We'd rather call it what it is.

That is less than a diamond retailer offers. We're not going to dress it up as equivalent. What we can offer instead is that everything we do say is checkable — including by the free test above.

Verifying the metal

The 925 stamp. Sterling silver is stamped "925". Look on the inside of a ring band, on a clasp, or on a tag. A missing stamp on a piece sold as sterling is a question worth asking.

A stamp is a claim, not proof. Stamps can be applied to metal that isn't what they say.

Independent checks:

• Acid test — a jeweller's standard method. It marks the piece slightly, so it's done in an inconspicuous spot.
• XRF analysis — non-destructive, gives the actual composition. Available at better jewellers and at assay offices.
• Magnet test — free and crude. Silver is not magnetic. If a piece is strongly attracted to a magnet, it isn't sterling. Passing this test proves very little, but failing it is conclusive.

On plating: where a finish is plated, that is a surface layer over the base metal, and it wears with time — covered in detail in our care guide.

Questions to ask any seller

Ask us these. Ask anyone else these.

1. What exactly is the stone? Moissanite, lab-grown diamond, cubic zirconia and white sapphire are four materials at four price levels. A precise answer is a good sign.
2. Is there an independent report on this specific stone? Not on the range. On the stone.
3. If you quote a colour or clarity grade, who graded it? If the answer is the supplier, or the seller themselves, that's a description rather than a grading.
4. What is the metal, and is there a plated finish over it?
5. What does the guarantee exclude?
6. What happens if an independent jeweller says the stone isn't what you told me?

The last one is the one that matters. Our answer: full refund, we cover return shipping, and we want the jeweller's assessment so we can trace it back through our supply.

Why we published this

We're a small store selling stones without certificates. That's a position where a buyer is right to be sceptical, and the usual response in our category is to project confidence — badges, seals, the word "certified" used loosely, invented review counts.

We don't have reviews yet, because we haven't had the orders that produce real ones, and we won't invent them. What we have instead is this: a description of exactly how to check us, including the methods that would catch us out if we were lying.

If you run any of these tests and the result doesn't match what we've told you, write to us. We'll refund you and we'll correct the page.

Every stone we sell can be checked the same way - see our rings, necklaces and earrings.