Suitable gemstones for erings

[GliderPoss]

Hello all,

I am interested regarding opinions on using "other" gemstones as erings.

PS has always have taken quite a strict line that there are very few stones hard/durable enough to use.
I regularly see advice that only sapphires and certain garnets are suitable YET for example on this website I see they use a wide variety of gemstones including the quartz and topaz family.

I also note in many local jewellers gemstone engagement rings are often available and have met many people who don''t have the usual diamond or sapphire ering.

I realise that PS advice is to ensure a long, happy and chip-free "ring life" but now I am wondering if other vendors are sorta negligent for selling such soft stone as erings? Who is right? What really is acceptable in this case? Is it simply a case of buyer-beware or should vendors educate their customer more?

Please help me sort this out in my mind

. Thanks!

 

[marcy]

IMO rubies, sapphires and spinel should work for an ering.

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/22/2010 10:14:53 PM
Author:HotPozzum
Hello all,


I am interested regarding opinions on using ''other'' gemstones as erings.

PS has always have taken quite a strict line that there are very few stones hard/durable enough to use.

I regularly see advice that only sapphires and certain garnets are suitable YET for example on this website I see they use a wide variety of gemstones including the quartz and topaz family.


I also note in many local jewellers gemstone engagement rings are often available and have met many people who don''t have the usual diamond or sapphire ering.



I realise that PS advice is to ensure a long, happy and chip-free ''ring life'' but now I am wondering if other vendors are sorta negligent for selling such soft stone as erings? Who is right? What really is acceptable in this case? Is it simply a case of buyer-beware or should vendors educate their customer more?


Please help me sort this out in my mind

. Thanks!

Hi HotPozzum. I couldn''t get your link to work, but I''ll comment on what you said about using stones in the topaz family. I do not wear rings featuring a topaz (yet!), so this is not from personal experience, but from references. Topaz has poor toughness because of it''s perfect cleavage, which makes it susceptible to chips, straight cracks or breaks upon impact. Based on that info, I''d shy away from using it for an e-ring.

Maybe someone who owns a topaz or quartz ring can share their experiences

 

[GliderPoss]

http://www.hkjewellery.co.uk/web/page/gemstone-engagement-rings

Sorry didn''t realise the link didn''t work.

 

[pocadot]

By the way, I do have an alexandrite ring that I use as an anniversary RHR. I''ve only been using it for a few months but have had no problems. I should also mention that It is a durable stone with hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale (right below sapphire which has a hardness of 9).

Here is a pic of my ring to give you an idea. Sorry it''s not the greatest quality pic. The stone looks like a deeply colored garnet with nice red flashes in regular incandescent light, not black as it appears in this photo.

 

[pocadot]

Here''s a horribly blurry pic that I''m posting just to represent the bright green the stone exhibits under direct fluorescent lighting. Please excuse the quality of the pictures. I can''t take good pics of my single color gems let alone the color-changing ones

 

[chrono]

Any stone can be used as an e-ring stone as long as the wearer understands the risks and knows how to take care of it. This is why the more common corundrum, sapphire and chrysoberyl are always suggested. Many wearers prefer to wear their e-rings 24/7 and not have to worry about its care. With care, garnets and tourmalines can even be used as an e-ring stone. Quartz and topaz have a reputation for being inexpensive and plentiful, thus are rarely suggested as e-ring stones. Of course, we know that certain varieties of topaz (imperial and unheated pink) can be very costly and rare but most consumers have never heard of these varieties.

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/22/2010 10:39:13 PM
Author: HotPozzum
http://www.hkjewellery.co.uk/web/page/gemstone-engagement-rings


Sorry didn''t realise the link didn''t work.

Wow! What pretty and unique rings! There are many beautiful bezel settings on it.

Bezel settings are protective of less durable stones, but I still wouldn''t feel comfortable wearing a softer stone or one with good to excellent cleavage in an e-ring. Cleavage is the ability for a stone to break along a plane (an extreme example of something with good cleavage is mica which splits easily along cleavage planes). I guess its possible to wear a less durable stone if you''re willing to be gentle with it, take it off when you''re at home or doing chores, etc, etc. As for myself, I''m too much of a klutz to feel comfortable doing so.

I have a RHR with a large opal, but only wear it for special occasions. I think I''ve already scratched it just by reaching into my handbag!

 

[iLander]

@ Hot: I don''t think any jewelers try to educate anybody about anything. See this thread of woe: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gripe-list-your-brick-n-mortar-jeweler-problems-issues-rants.145065/

@ Pocadot! OMG, LOOOVVVEEE that alexandrite!

@ Chrono: How can you establish if a pink topaz is unheated or not? Only through GIA or other lab, right?

To answer the question: the best thing I can say is what NOT to buy: tanzanite! It''s way too fragile, and you can''t even use an ultrasonic cleaner.

 

[pocadot]

@ iLander: Thanks, you''re too kind! I obsessed over finding an alexandrite with strong color change, then obsessed over finding a pretty and affordable setting. I find color changing stones mesmerizing.

 

[chrono]

iLander,
Correct; the best way is to have a reputable lab check it out. Some precision cutters though are able to find unheated pink topaz because they know their source, plus as they are examining and cutting the stone, they do see some of those tell tale signs. As far as I know, I’ve seen Dan Stair and Jeff White offer untreated pink topaz once so far.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 6/22/2010 10:32:07 PM
Author: pocadot

Date: 6/22/2010 10:14:53 PM

I do not wear rings featuring a topaz (yet!), so this is not from personal experience, but from references. Topaz has poor toughness because of it''s perfect cleavage, which makes it susceptible to chips, straight cracks or breaks upon impact. Based on that info, I''d shy away from using it for an e-ring.

Maybe someone who owns a topaz or quartz ring can share their experiences

I''m not sure that perfect cleavage is a reason to reject a gemstone as suitable for an ering. The risk of cleavage is much higher during the cutting and polishing process, and when the gem is set. It is also worth noting that gems with perfect cleavage have different cleavage planes, and the number of cleavage planes varies from 1 to 5.

The tendency of a gemstone to chip (due to being brittle) is actually a different issue from cleavage.

By the way, one gemstone variety with perfect cleavage on 4 planes is worn in tens of millions of erings. I''m referring of course to diamond ....

 

[pocadot]

Date: 6/25/2010 10:41:30 AM
Author: morecarats

Date: 6/22/2010 10:32:07 PM

Author: pocadot

Date: 6/22/2010 10:14:53 PM


I do not wear rings featuring a topaz (yet!), so this is not from personal experience, but from references. Topaz has poor toughness because of it''s perfect cleavage, which makes it susceptible to chips, straight cracks or breaks upon impact. Based on that info, I''d shy away from using it for an e-ring.


Maybe someone who owns a topaz or quartz ring can share their experiences

I''m not sure that perfect cleavage is a reason to reject a gemstone as suitable for an ering. The risk of cleavage is much higher during the cutting and polishing process, and when the gem is set. It is also worth noting that gems with perfect cleavage have different cleavage planes, and the number of cleavage planes varies from 1 to 5.


The tendency of a gemstone to chip (due to being brittle) is actually a different issue from cleavage.


By the way, one gemstone variety with perfect cleavage on 4 planes is worn in tens of millions of erings. I''m referring of course to diamond ....

@ morecarats: Thanks for clarifying that. It was a lapidary who told me not to choose a stone with good cleavage for a ring - if cleavage risk is higher during the cutting process, it makes sense that he would say that to me. I didn''t ask him for additional factors that may affect the durability of the stone. I guess it has always been a confusing concept to me.

You learn something new everyday!