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Stones for an everyday ring (and which are fragile)

· 2 min read · Buying guides

Mohs hardness, brittleness and water: which stones stand up to everyday wear in a ring, which scratch or break and which must stay out of the ultrasonic.

Collection of gemstones of different colors

A ring bumps into doors, tables and keyboards. To choose well, look at three things: hardness (resistance to scratching), toughness (resistance to breaking) and stability against water, heat and products.

Mohs hardness #

The Mohs scale runs from 1 to 10 and measures scratch resistance. Common dust contains quartz (hardness 7), so stones below 7 get scratched in everyday wear.

Stone Approximate Mohs hardness For everyday wear
Diamond 10 Excellent
Sapphire and ruby 9 Excellent
Moissanite 9.25 Excellent
Spinel 8 Very good
Topaz 8 Good; can break with a knock
Aquamarine and emerald 7.5 to 8 Emerald: delicate, has inclusions
Quartz, amethyst and citrine 7 Good
Garnet 6.5 to 7.5 Good
Peridot 6.5 to 7 With care
Opal 5.5 to 6.5 Fragile
Turquoise 5 to 6 Scratches and absorbs liquids
Pearls 2.5 to 4.5 Better in earrings or pendants
Amber 2 to 2.5 Better in pendants

Stones that scratch easily #

Opal, turquoise, pearls, amber, coral, lapis lazuli and malachite. They are better in earrings and pendants, which take fewer knocks.

Fragile stones #

Emerald often has inclusions and fissures; opal can crack with sudden temperature changes; topaz and kunzite have cleavage directions that give way under a blow.

Which stones tolerate water #

Diamond, sapphire, ruby and quartz do well. Keep pearls, opal, turquoise, coral and amber away from water, soaps, perfumes and chlorine. See jewelry in the shower, pool and sea.

Which stones must not go in the ultrasonic #

Emeralds (often oil-filled), opals, pearls, turquoise, coral, amber and any treated stone. See ultrasonic cleaners.

For an everyday ring #

Sapphire, ruby, diamond, moissanite or spinel, with a setting that protects the stone, such as a bezel.

See also: gemstones and cleaning jewelry with stones.

This entry was drafted with the help of AI and is pending review by the author.