GEMSTONE HARDNESS
When picking out a gemstone for a particular piece of jewelry the hardness of the stone is one of the things that must be considered. The "Mohs" scale is the grading system for finding a gems hardness. This is a "relative" scale, meaning that if a Diamond can scratch a Ruby but the Ruby won't scratch the diamond, the diamond is harder. This is a 1 to 10 scale with 10 being the hardest (Diamond). Below is a list of some of the different gems hardness.
If you found a gemstone that you liked and wanted to put it in a ring setting but the hardness was a 5, you might consider a different gem that is harder so it possibly won't get scratched or chipped doing everyday tasks. Gemstones that are a 6.5 to 10 on the Mohs scale are much more durable in ring settings. A gemstone that is a 5 in hardness would probably work great for a necklace or a pair of earrings because there is less chance to be damaged.
Another consideration is picking a gem material that is not too difficult to cut. Materials that are under 5 or over 9.5 in hardness are very time-consuming to cut, and it takes special equipment to cut a gem that is a 10 in hardness.
NATURAL GEM MATERIAL |
MAN-MADE/SYNTHETIC GEM MATERIAL |
Amber 2 - 2.5
Amethyst 7
Benitoite 6 - 6.5
Beryl 7.5 - 8
Chrysoberyl 8.5
Citrine 7
Corundum* 9
Diamond 10
Emerald 7.5
Feldspar 6 - 6.5
Garnet Group 6.5 - 7.25
Morganite 7.5-8
Opal 5 - 6.5
Peridot 6.5 - 7
Quartz* 7
Ruby 9
Sapphire 9
Spinel 8
Topaz 8
Tourmaline* 7 - 7.5
* see Man-Made Material page
|
Corundum* 9
Cubic Zirconia 8.25
Quartz* 7
Tourmaline* 7.5
Y.A.G. 8.5 |
