Gemstones For Everyday (Ring) Wear

[Jsmith8]

I was wondering what gemstones were stable/hard enough to wear everyday in a ring. I''m not real knowledgeable and only know that sapphires and rubies are supposed to be higher up on the scale.

Thanks!

 

[marcy]

Rubies, sapphires and spinel would probably be the best for everyday wear.

 

[jstarfireb]

I''d add alexandrite/chrysoberyl to that list.

 

[ma re]

Topaz is also one of the most durable stones you''ll find, and there''s one stone that some people like, it''s quite rare and you probably won''t see it sold in B&M stores - andalusite.

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

Garnets, sapphire, spinel, ruby, tourmaline would be my recommendations. I know many people would not wear tourmaline everyday but I know several people who do and have for the last decade without any problem.

 

[chrono]

Jim,
As careful as I am with my spessartite and it’s only a right hand ring which is worn with care and not even everyday, it has sustained minor non visible abrasions on the crown area. It probably wouldn’t bother most people and even though I cannot see it, it’s a mind thing for me. Therefore, I do not feel comfortable recommending either a garnet or a tourmaline as everyday wear engagement ring.

 

[Gailey]

Topaz is an excellent choice.

My engagement ring, which I received in 1992, is a yellow gold topaz with a diamond halo. I wore it constantly for 15 years or more. These days I only wear it occasionally in the winter because of my job. After 17 years, I decided the topaz needed a bit of attention and got the crown re-cut and polished. Here''s a before and after picture:

 

[aggal06]

I would think emeralds would be up there. A lady I work with has an engagement ring with a diamond center stone and it looks like channel set emeralds around the band.

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

I think a lot of it depends too on what the person does for a living and the setting it is in as well. If it is a well protected setting and they are in an office enviroment, it probably will be fine. If they are in construciton and the stone is very exposed, thats just asking for a chipped stone. Isnt non visible abraiding always a risk with most jewelry applications?

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/4/2010 10:08:36 AM
Author: aggal06
I would think emeralds would be up there. A lady I work with has an engagement ring with a diamond center stone and it looks like channel set emeralds around the band.

Sorry aggal06 but absolutely not. Here is a picture of my friend''s emerald engagement ring. The emerald that you see is the second one put into this ring and now that one has chipped as well.

A well protected clipped corner square, oval or a round may fare better than a pear, but nevertheless, I would not reccomend an emerald for everyday use. Mine come out on high days and holidays.

 

[Jsmith8]

I''m finding out as much information as possible!

I am so uninformed when it comes to jewelry and have such a big decision on my hands!

Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

[aggal06]

Thanks for the info. Gailey That''s good information to know as I am still learning about this stuff.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/4/2010 10:24:43 AM
Author: Jsmith8
I''m finding out as much information as possible!

I am so uninformed when it comes to jewelry and have such a big decision on my hands!

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Wise course of action Jsmith! Stick with us and we will do our best to answer all of your questions and help you find a stone.

Part of the reason diamonds are so popular for engagement rings is because of their hardness. It has a Moh''s hardness scale of 10 All other gemstones have lower values:
Ruby and Sapphire (Corrundum) - 9
Chrysoberyl/Alexandrite - 8.5
Topaz/Spinel - 8

For an everyday ring, you would be safest choosing from within this group.

 

[Harriet]

How gentle are you with rings? I''m pretty careful, but I still daren''t wear my garnets on a daily basis.

 

[Jsmith8]

Date: 3/4/2010 10:43:15 AM
Author: Harriet
How gentle are you with rings? I''m pretty careful, but I still daren''t wear my garnets on a daily basis.

I have NO idea! I''ve never had a ring before (with a stone) that I''ve worn every day.

 

[Gailey]

What you do for a living is a very important component of choosing an everyday ring.

One of the reasons that diamonds are so popular in engagement rings is that they have a Moh''s hardness scale of 10. All other gemstones are softer. You would be safest to choose a stone in the following categories:
Sapphire/Ruby - 9.0
Chrysoberyl/Alexandrite - 8.5
Topaz/Spinel - 8.0

 

[Pandora II]

Depends what you mean by everyday wear.

If you want to wear something 24/7 - diamonds only
If you want to wear it most of the time and take it off for sleeping/cleaning the house etc then sapphires/chrysoberyl

If you are happy to only wear it when you go out (which is what I do) then garnets are fine.

I'd be a bit wary with topaz as it has spectacular cleavage...

Hardness (the Mohs Scale) only indicates the ability of the material to be scratched, it does NOT indicate how tough a material is. You also need to take into account factors such as cleavage or bang your stone and you've got two rocks for the price of one.

 

[gingersnap]

Date: 3/4/2010 10:48:14 AM
Author: Jsmith8

Date: 3/4/2010 10:43:15 AM
Author: Harriet
How gentle are you with rings? I''m pretty careful, but I still daren''t wear my garnets on a daily basis.

I have NO idea! I''ve never had a ring before (with a stone) that I''ve worn every day.

One thing you can look at is how gentle you are with your hands

. If you often have nicks/cuts/bruises on your hands , or if you find yourself accidently smack things with your hands (I... am a bit of a clutz, so this is common for me

) then you would probably be hard on your rings. If your hands are generally in good condition, and if you can keep your nails looking good, you are probably more gentle. If in doubt, go with a sapphire/ruby for everyday wear. You can always buy another ring if you want a different stone later

I have a sapphire e-ring in a nice low setting, but not totally encased (4 prong). I have smacked it a couple times, but it shows absolutely no wear. Had it for less than a year (but I do wear it everyday), so I don''t know how helpful that is. The love I have for my ring makes me more aware what I''m doing with my hands, but it still gets smacked accidently

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/4/2010 11:10:57 AM
Author: Pandora II
Depends what you mean by everyday wear.

If you want to wear something 24/7 - diamonds only
If you want to wear it most of the time and take it off for sleeping/cleaning the house etc then sapphires/chrysoberyl

If you are happy to only wear it when you go out (which is what I do) then garnets are fine.

I''d be a bit wary with topaz as it has spectacular cleavage...

Hardness (the Mohs Scale) only indicates the ability of the material to be scratched, it does NOT indicate how tough a material is. You also need to take into account factors such as cleavage or bang your stone and you''ve got two rocks for the price of one.

Pandora,

I was going to mention this, but I didn''t want to deluge the poor girl with stuff all at once. After I made my post I went searching for a table or something similar to a Moh''s scale that shows things like cleavage and brittleness etc. Do you know of a succinct article?

My topaz is still in one piece, but it is a small stone, set very low and is protected by a bezel. My ring is 18 years old this year.

 

[Jsmith8]

Date: 3/4/2010 11:10:57 AM
Author: Pandora II
Depends what you mean by everyday wear.

If you want to wear something 24/7 - diamonds only
If you want to wear it most of the time and take it off for sleeping/cleaning the house etc then sapphires/chrysoberyl

If you are happy to only wear it when you go out (which is what I do) then garnets are fine.

I'd be a bit wary with topaz as it has spectacular cleavage...

Hardness (the Mohs Scale) only indicates the ability of the material to be scratched, it does NOT indicate how tough a material is. You also need to take into account factors such as cleavage or bang your stone and you've got two rocks for the price of one.

I am currently in my last year of college. I will become an elementary educator.

I imagine I will wear this ring all day except when sleeping, cleaning, showering, laundry, gardening, etc. I will most likely choose a sapphire just for a safe choice however I am still interested in this topic. (Sapphire is also my birthstone)

I am unaware of what you mean by "cleavage or bang your stone."

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

The term cleavage refers to the splitting, or parting of a mineral along defined planes that are related their crystalline structure. Basically a stone with cleavage can be a little more fragile than a stone without cleavage. Banging your ring means to bump it or accidently hit it on another surface. Hopefully that answers your questions

 

[PrecisionGem]

I know a guy who makes a living out of recutting chipped and scratched diamonds. It all depends on how hard you are on things.

Many people I meet want me to look at their rings, and typically they are diamonds. As we look at them through a loop, or under my microscope they often are scratched, chipped or otherwise banged up looking. So even the highly sought after diamond is not immune to damage.

My wife wore a tourmaline 24/7 for years and it showed no sign of damage, other than the gold work.

 

[T L]

Date: 3/4/2010 12:11:39 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
I know a guy who makes a living out of recutting chipped and scratched diamonds. It all depends on how hard you are on things.

Many people I meet want me to look at their rings, and typically they are diamonds. As we look at them through a loop, or under my microscope they often are scratched, chipped or otherwise banged up looking. So even the highly sought after diamond is not immune to damage.

My wife wore a tourmaline 24/7 for years and it showed no sign of damage, other than the gold work.

Isn''t that the truth. My mother has two huge chips, more like boulders, clipped off her diamond. She also cracked a baguette in half!!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Since you want to wear your ring most of the time I suggest diamond or Sapphire/Ruby or Chrysoberyl or Spinel.

Next year you will be a teacher, maybe in 5 years you''ll be doing something that''s harder on your hands. Or maybe you''ll be teaching Kindergarten, which is hard on your hands. LOL

There are plenty of lovely stones to choose from --- have fun picking one!

 

[Arkteia]

Date: 3/4/2010 12:24:11 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 3/4/2010 12:11:39 PM

Author: PrecisionGem

I know a guy who makes a living out of recutting chipped and scratched diamonds. It all depends on how hard you are on things.


Many people I meet want me to look at their rings, and typically they are diamonds. As we look at them through a loop, or under my microscope they often are scratched, chipped or otherwise banged up looking. So even the highly sought after diamond is not immune to damage.





My wife wore a tourmaline 24/7 for years and it showed no sign of damage, other than the gold work.

Isn't that the truth. My mother has two huge chips, more like boulders, clipped off her diamond. She also cracked a baguette in half!!

I guess everyone knows it...just fun to remind. Diamonds burn. Turn to carbon. Funny how you always here that they are "forever" but they aren't!

I agree with Ma Re about andalusite. If you are lucky...It is a beautiful stone. Isn't it called "poor man's alexandrite"?

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/4/2010 11:31:46 AM
Author: Gailey

Date: 3/4/2010 11:10:57 AM
Author: Pandora II
Depends what you mean by everyday wear.

If you want to wear something 24/7 - diamonds only
If you want to wear it most of the time and take it off for sleeping/cleaning the house etc then sapphires/chrysoberyl

If you are happy to only wear it when you go out (which is what I do) then garnets are fine.

I''d be a bit wary with topaz as it has spectacular cleavage...

Hardness (the Mohs Scale) only indicates the ability of the material to be scratched, it does NOT indicate how tough a material is. You also need to take into account factors such as cleavage or bang your stone and you''ve got two rocks for the price of one.

Pandora,

I was going to mention this, but I didn''t want to deluge the poor girl with stuff all at once. After I made my post I went searching for a table or something similar to a Moh''s scale that shows things like cleavage and brittleness etc. Do you know of a succinct article?

My topaz is still in one piece, but it is a small stone, set very low and is protected by a bezel. My ring is 18 years old this year.

I don''t know of an online one, a quick look on wikipedia will give you the info for each stone though.

Adding to the diamond comments - my ''having a baby'' present was an antique ring with 3 OECs, the setting is 18k gold and extremely delicate and yet under a loupe it has no damage at all. The three diamonds all have tiny chips - very thin girdles and high crowns have their issues. Didn''t matter to me as I love the ring and even I need to squint with a 10x loupe to see them, but I enjoy showing them to people who think that diamonds can''t break.

 

[Harriet]

G,
Do you have "Gemstones of the World?" It has the useful charts.

P,
You're a funny (as in funny-good) girl!

 

[Gailey]

Date: 3/4/2010 7:08:58 PM
Author: Harriet
G,
Do you have ''Gemstones of the World?'' It has the useful charts.

P,
You''re a funny (as in funny-good) girl!

Yup, never leave home without it! Truth be told, it''s been a while since I picked it up. I need to go back and have a look.