RedSpinel
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2012
- Messages
- 211
I didnt have enough room in the title area to really spell out the subject I'm asking people's opinions on. What I'm wondering is what is the least/lowest mohs hardness that YOU will accept when deciding which gems to mount into a ring? Also, there are other, non hardnesss related issues that might also effect your decision on whether to choose certain gems for mounting in a higher wear jewelry setting like a ring. So its overall toughness thats important, and not just hardness because hardness doesnt tell the whole story.
I originally had read that you should want at least a hardness of 7 or so for rings, but then I saw countless Tanzanites being mounted in rings, even though they are only around 6.5. That means if you arent careful, that your 5+ ct royal blue Tanzanite is likely to be scratched or suffer wear at the facet edges, etc.
But there are other "issues" that seem to come up when choosing gems for their durability for mounting in higher wear type mounts. Even though Topaz has a nice hardness of 8, it apparently has cleavage issues from what I've read in the past. So if you mount a super nice, rare Imperial Topaz into a ring, then you accidentally slam your hand up against something, the Topaz might simply cleave into 2 pieces or more. Supposedly Zircon has fairly similar issues with brittleness, and is some times difficult to facet and polish because the edges or points might chip, or if you knock it against something. A large diamond might even suffer some cleavage related damage if hit hard enough. The cutters usually cleave them at the beginning to get at the best piece of rough. I believe Tourmalines have some issues as well.
Then there's Emeralds, which are likely to have internal weaknesses due to their omnipresent inclusions, which might be an issue if knocked hard against an object. Rubies are no doubt similar due to their always present inclusions.
So that leaves us with sapphires and especially Spinels! Yaaay! No I think certain Garnets are probably hard enough and tough enough to be mounted into rings. As is Chrysoberyl, and other beryl gems.
What is your criteria for toughness, and how/where would you mount the less tough gems? Whats the lowest hardness for rings in your opinion?
Lastly, have you ever suffered any wear related issues with gems that werent as tough or hard in your jewelry?
I originally had read that you should want at least a hardness of 7 or so for rings, but then I saw countless Tanzanites being mounted in rings, even though they are only around 6.5. That means if you arent careful, that your 5+ ct royal blue Tanzanite is likely to be scratched or suffer wear at the facet edges, etc.
But there are other "issues" that seem to come up when choosing gems for their durability for mounting in higher wear type mounts. Even though Topaz has a nice hardness of 8, it apparently has cleavage issues from what I've read in the past. So if you mount a super nice, rare Imperial Topaz into a ring, then you accidentally slam your hand up against something, the Topaz might simply cleave into 2 pieces or more. Supposedly Zircon has fairly similar issues with brittleness, and is some times difficult to facet and polish because the edges or points might chip, or if you knock it against something. A large diamond might even suffer some cleavage related damage if hit hard enough. The cutters usually cleave them at the beginning to get at the best piece of rough. I believe Tourmalines have some issues as well.
Then there's Emeralds, which are likely to have internal weaknesses due to their omnipresent inclusions, which might be an issue if knocked hard against an object. Rubies are no doubt similar due to their always present inclusions.
So that leaves us with sapphires and especially Spinels! Yaaay! No I think certain Garnets are probably hard enough and tough enough to be mounted into rings. As is Chrysoberyl, and other beryl gems.
What is your criteria for toughness, and how/where would you mount the less tough gems? Whats the lowest hardness for rings in your opinion?
Lastly, have you ever suffered any wear related issues with gems that werent as tough or hard in your jewelry?