DiAMONDS -

How to Spot a Fake Diamond:

While it's a safe bet that the blue box (Tiffany's) diamonds are genuine, many dishonest vendors sneakily rip off customers by selling similar-looking but much less expensive diamond-like stones. These criminals count on their not-so-savvy clientele to trust that their jewelry uses real diamonds. By neglecting to check out their jewelry before purchasing, many hopeful diamond buyers unfortunately end up spending their money on costume jewelry. The love in many marriages and relationships might be very real, but the diamonds in their jewelry are often not. Diamonds might be one of the hardest substances on Earth (real ones are nearly indestructible) but they're fairly easy to fake.

There are many synthetic stones that have very similar appearances to the diamond, including cubic zirconium (also known as CZ), zirconium silicate and white sapphire. However, there is one faux diamond whose appearance is almost identical to the real thing. To the untrained eye, a moissanite stone has the same shimmer, sparkle and brilliance of an actual diamond. It's nearly as hard as one, too. Diamonds might be a girl's best friend, but moissanite is giving it a run for its money. While moissanite is not as low priced as a CZ stone, it looks tremendously more realistic and it's still much less expensive than an actual diamond. This one-carat moissanite ring from Amazon.com is only $760. That's more than six times less than a diamond ring of the same size. If you're on a budget, you might want to consider this hidden gem.

Still think that only diamonds are forever? Make sure that your new bling is the real thing. Protect yourself by following these steps BEFORE purchasing ((or ladies check the rocks you got now)):

- Make sure that the diamond isn't damaged. Most diamond substitutes (except for moissanite) are made up of a much softer substance. This causes the stone to easily chip and scuff.

- Make sure the diamond isn't too perfect. While you don't want nicks and cracks, most genuine diamonds have a few imperfections within the stone, even if they aren't visible to the naked eye. Ask the jeweler for his or her loupe and survey the stone under magnification. Ironically, a common faux-stone giveaway is its lack of imperfections. The replica is often just too perfect to be believed.

- Look for luster, brilliance and fire. Good diamonds aren't dull, and it's nearly impossible for synthetic stones to duplicate their natural sparkle. Try comparing the stone you're considering side-by-side with a diamond that you know to be real.

-- Ask if it is real. It sounds crazy, but asking, "Is this a real diamond or a synthetic stone?" might throw a scammer off his game. He very well may back down and tell the truth about the stone. If this happens, run, don't walk, out of the store and report your experience to the Better Business Bureau.

- Have the stone appraised. It's worth the extra expense to have peace of mind regarding this very important purchase. An independent appraiser (don't settle for the one that the store recommends) can put your mind at ease while giving you key details to help you to gauge whether or not the price you plan to pay is fair. You may even wish to take the investigation one step further by requesting a report from a grading laboratory such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL)

The process of spotting a fake diamond might be tedious, but with the improvement in look-alikes, it's important to take your jewelry store experience and the risk of fraud very seriously to make certain that your diamond purchase is as solid as a rock.