A friend of mine got a pendant from a charity shop

[iloveshopping]

It is 925 silver and both the chain and the pendant with a .50 carat look brand new. She took it to 2 jewellers who told her the stone was a diamond. I searched for it on a couple of the cheap jewellers who have it as a set with CZ earrings in SS for £60.
I’m almost certain it is CZ. Very rarely are largish diamonds mounted in silver.
My main point is how did both those jewellers get it wrong? One did say that they would have to send it away for testing first. The other said they had too much stock as everyone was selling their diamonds.
I was thinking of buying some secondhand solitaire diamond earrings. I’ve been completely put off buying secondhand now if the jewellers cannot get it right!

 

[merryone]

That's quite intriguing. I agree that you'd rarely get a decent sized diamond set in SS. Do you have a photo of it? How did you manage to look it up with other jewellers? Thing is surely jewellers would more likely tell someone that it's worth less than you think and not tell someone that a CZ is a diamond. How much did she pay in this charity shop? I know there's some kind of scratch test you can do with a diamond. I wouldn't be put off buying, if you like the earrings and you're happy with the price, buy them. If you're worried, then perhaps you can get the valued independently and if it does turn out that they're not diamonds, then surely the jeweller you bought them from would have questions to answer?

 

[HelS]

Nobody is going to set a half decent .50 diamond in silver and any jeweller will have a loupe to spot inclusions and a diamond testing kit (they're cheap!), so maybe it's a crummy diamond?

 

[Julie Sanchez]

It’s surprising that both jewellers got it wrong but I think it could be due to the sheer volume of pieces they deal with, making it harder to identify certain stones accurately without proper testing. CZ stones can sometimes look very similar to diamonds, especially if they're well cut. It’s always a good idea to get secondhand jewellery properly tested if you're uncertain. Don’t let this experience put you off buying secondhand just be sure to get a trusted jeweller’s opinion or ask for certificates of authenticity!

 

[Peppermint Patti]

I thought CZ stones were laser etched to show they weren't diamonds. Is it that or the other way round or have I dreamt it.

 

[Kit10]

I thought CZ stones were laser etched to show they weren't diamonds. Is it that or the other way round or have I dreamt it.

CZ are so cheap, it would be too expensive to etch them. Any good jeweller would know they are cubic zirconia when checking with a loupe. Some high end diamonds are lazer etched.