Sapphire Vs Glass Detector On Ebay

[sssurfer]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Diamond-Watch-Sapphire...1QQcmdZViewItem

I just wonder if it really works for sapphire vs glass...

[premiumdesigners]

isnt the water drop test accurate?

[sssurfer]

isnt the water drop test accurate?

It somewhat depends on how well cleaned the crystal is...

[KenMc]

I used to trust the water bead test, but now I understand that it's flawed. Sort of.

By virtue of how Sapphire crystals are processed, they are far more polished than mineral glass, hence smoother & less porous. This smoother surface affects the way in which water beads up, so it's nothing to do with the differences of sapphire versus glass. Highly polished glass would perform the water bead test just as well as sapphire.

However, ask yourself this " would a rep maker use highly polished mineral glass ( read extra cost and hard to source) or would they use the relatively easy to obtain sapphire? " 5 years ago sapphire was more exotic than today, with increased usage the price of any commodity comes down.

BTW, you can't do the water bead test on a dirty crystal. Regardless of what type, glass or sapphire.

[premiumdesigners]

@kenMc - Great information! Thanks.

[Guest samir]

yes it does work, you can also use it to test if its solid stainless or plated brass too. its a great machine, all the jewellers i know have one.

[swdivad]

with increased usage the price of any commodity comes down.

Tell that to the airlines

[hookoo]

Just tried the water drop test. It worked well with the wathes I have.

Learn something new everyday

[yt74]

Thats a fun item, I wonder if it really works.