The Quality And Durability Of Gemstone Rings

There are gemstone rings that are durable enough to be worn everyday and there are others with enough durability that allows them to be worn on a more occasional basis. There are even gemstones that simply should not be set in rings at all.

Hardness is one of the very important measures of the durability of a gemstone. In gemology, the hardness of gems is measured on the Mohs scale. This scale assigns a value to minerals between 10, hardest and 1, softest. This Mohs scale is the brainchild of Frederick Mohs, a German mineralogist, who invented it in 1822. Hardness is defined in terms of the level of scratch resistance; a harder mineral will create scratches on a softer one but the same is not true when the reverse is done. Diamond is the hardest and graded 10, followed by sapphire and ruby which are graded 9, topaz, spinel and emerald are graded 8 and quartz, tourmaline and garnet are graded 7. Included among the softest gemstones are fluorite graded 4, calcite graded 3, gypsum graded 2 and talc graded 1.

The line between softer and harder gemstones is typically thought to have a rating of 7 on the Mohs scale, where gemstones with a hardness of at least 7 are suitable for rings and those below that rating are not. However, while this rule of thumb is useful, it is a little too simplistic to use on its own.

For an engagement or wedding ring, which is intended for everyday use over many years, it is recommended that a hardness rating of 8 to 10 be adhered to. Though other considerations come into play as well. For example, emerald is normally heavily included with a number of tiny interior fractures. Therefore, despite the fact that it has a hardness rating of 8, this stone is not robust enough to endure daily wear. At times, topaz is also disqualified as a daily wear gemstone because of its perfect cleavage. However, diamond has perfect cleavage as well and has been proven to be extremely durable. The danger with perfect cleavage primarily takes place during the process of cutting; once the gem is cut and set in the ring it is very unlikely that it will break. The chief strike against topaz is the heavily treated and very common blue topaz. The imperial topaz is a fine and rare gemstone which is suitable for special rings that can be worn on a daily basis.

Tourmaline, zircon, beryl, garnet, quartz and other gemstone with hardness ratings of 7 or more are suitable for rings that are worn only on certain occasions; however, they can be designed for daily wear, provided that the gemstones are placed in a bezel or other protective settings. Gemstones that have a hardness rating of less than 7 are set in rings; however the ring should be ideally restricted to being worn on special occasions.

Gemstone rings are available in a range of prices and styles. The rings can be chosen based on the appearance of the ring, the value of the gemstone, personal preferences or based on astrological signs. It is tough to define how much gemstone rings should cost. Their value depends on the cut, clarity and color of the stone, its size, the popularity of the color and the rareness of the stone.