Myth busting — in the world of x-rays

Abstract

Have you seen the television show ‘MythBusters’? It was decided to carry out a radiographic version of ‘MythBusters’. The study involved the investigation of the urban myth about a female radiographer who accidentally x-rayed her hand, only to discover that her diamond engagement ring was a fake. To prove or disprove the legend, a number of natural diamonds and cubic zirconia crystals were radiographed. Sure enough, there was a definite and consistent difference between the resultant images. The study confirmed part of the myth that radiography can differentiate between a diamond and a cubic zirconia fake diamond.