Sapphires as every day rings?

[toaster]

Are sapphires supposed to be strong/sturdy enough to wear 24/7? I see so many of you with sapphire e-rings or wedding rings. But do you wear them 24/7 like a lot of people do diamonds?

 

[estelle]

Sapphire/Ruby (Corundum) is a very hard stone. Diamond is a 10 on the Mohs scale and sapphire is a 9.

 

[deskjockey]

I take mine off at night to bathe kiddo and shower/sleep. Sapphire is the next hardest thing to diamond, my reasoning is more about not wanting to lose the ring when my hand is wet (it's a titch too big sometimes), and also about wanting to keep the stone as clean/free of residue as possible (getting it wet and messing around with kid stuff, including diapers, just makes it dull and I have to clean it more often)

I treat my diamond ring the same.

 

[LoversKites]

To add to what was said, I think it is important to take care with any stone, even if they're very hard like sapphire or diamond. It's be upsetting to find a chip one day.

 

[chumleygirl]

I have a sapphire ring that I wear everyday as a right hand ring. It's rather low profile and does not have a large spread on my ring finger (18K WG, rectangular diamond halo aproxx 12x8mm). I haven't had any issues with damage but I do take my rings off whenever I do dishes, bathe, sleep.

 

[ExpatBride]

I wear my sapphire and diamond ring everyday. As someone said, sapphires are nearly as strong as diamonds, so I think theyre an ideal choice for everyday wear. They show up often in vintage rings, so they must be durable!

 

[chrono]

Sapphires are very durable and can be worn as everyday rings. However, just like diamonds, they can and do chip if mishandled (banged around, dropped or etc). It is always best to remove rings before doing "heavy" work such as laundry, yardwork, dishes, etc.

 

[T L]

Sapphires are very durable and can be worn as everyday rings. However, just like diamonds, they can and do chip if mishandled (banged around, dropped or etc). It is always best to remove rings before doing "heavy" work such as laundry, yardwork, dishes, etc.

True, and no stone, not even diamond, is impervious to the hazards of everyday life.

Even Elizabeth Taylor had lots of facet abrasion on her ruby ring when I saw it in an auction catalog. Ruby is the same hardness as sapphire.

You also have to be careful that the metalwork surrounding your ring can get damaged, loose prongs, etc. . . so platinum is more durable than gold, which tends to wear away more.

BTW, my mother had taken out two huge chunks of her diamond, and cracked a diamond baguette in her ring.

I would also remove rings at bedtime.

 

[toaster]

I'm a 24/7 ring kinda person. I wear my e-ring/wedding ring 24/7 and wanted a right hand ring to wear 24/7.... I hoped I was good in going with sapphire (which i absolutley LOVE!) since it is so strong (and the ring i picked happened to be platinum setting).

i don't think i'm particularly hard on my rings? maybe i am? but I wore my original wedding set 24/7 and never chipped a stone... and i've worn this upgraded set for the past, almost 2 years with no problems....

but unforutunately, after less than six months of wearing the sapphire ring... it's got a tiny chip on the edge! i hadn't really read in this area of this forum.... but when I started seeing all the people with sapphire e-rings i made me wonder if they are in the 24/7 camp or the only when going out of the house camp.... and if they are 24/7 folks... how are their sapphires holding up?

i guess if it ever chips bigger or cracks... i'll just have to replace it with a diamond that matched the other two in the ring..... (but had i realized that sapphire wouldn't hold up to every day wear.... i would have picked a completely different style of all diamonds for a r/h ring... hind site.....)

 

[indigoblue]

I remove my current sapphire E-ring when I get home, but mainly that's to avoid soap and hand lotion making it dull. My original diamond E-ring (from 1971) was worn 24/7 and was badly chipped and being held by only three prongs when it was upgraded in '98. That's when I started removing my rings in the house to prevent damage and keep them clean and sparkly. Just couldn't see why I needed to wear them while vacuuming, gardening, showering, and doing laundry. There were too many ways to whack the stones on something. Unfortunately the 1.5 ct solitaire sits in a box now waiting for one of my daughters to claim it (unless I decide to reset it first).

 

[T L]

I'm a 24/7 ring kinda person. I wear my e-ring/wedding ring 24/7 and wanted a right hand ring to wear 24/7.... I hoped I was good in going with sapphire (which i absolutley LOVE!) since it is so strong (and the ring i picked happened to be platinum setting).

i don't think i'm particularly hard on my rings? maybe i am? but I wore my original wedding set 24/7 and never chipped a stone... and i've worn this upgraded set for the past, almost 2 years with no problems....

but unforutunately, after less than six months of wearing the sapphire ring... it's got a tiny chip on the edge! i hadn't really read in this area of this forum.... but when I started seeing all the people with sapphire e-rings i made me wonder if they are in the 24/7 camp or the only when going out of the house camp.... and if they are 24/7 folks... how are their sapphires holding up?

i guess if it ever chips bigger or cracks... i'll just have to replace it with a diamond that matched the other two in the ring..... (but had i realized that sapphire wouldn't hold up to every day wear.... i would have picked a completely different style of all diamonds for a r/h ring... hind site.....)

Normally facet wear and damage is much more clear through a loupe than the naked eye. Therefore, often, the adage, "what we don't know, won't hurt us," applies here. I think Elizabeth Taylor's ruby ring, that I mentioned above, would look perfect to her naked eye, but when I saw the blown up photos in the auction catalog, the facet wear was extremely evident.

We often don't realize how much damage these stones take, even with careful and minimal wear.

 

[athenaworth]

I’m a big believer that no ring should be worn 24/7. It doesn’t matter if you’re not hard on your hands. Stuff happens. And damage can not only be done to the stones but to the setting, which can lead to lost stones.

 

[partgypsy]

Except for my plain gold wedding band I don't wear ANY ring (or jewelry) 24/7. I've read here that friction from the cloth sheets can wear away the prongs and this causes wear and loss of stones. Sapphire is a very durable stone but one should still use common sense when wearing rings.

 

[toaster]

I've read about the friction wearing the prongs in a couple of other threads in other sections of PS.... But my prongs never wore on my original set and both of the rings I wear now are platium (and from what I've read about platinum... it doesn't wear away... it moves... so I don't think that's an issue.)

I have rings to wear and for me to enjoy... It truly made me sad to read the other threads about what, when, and how often people here on PS wear their beautiful rings.... Some only wear them out of the house and others don't even do that!!???

I like to look at my rings whether I'm at home, at work, in the car, etc.... I have the rings to please me! I don't like to save my "good china" for only special occasions... EVERY DAY is a special occasion!

 

[T L]

I've read about the friction wearing the prongs in a couple of other threads in other sections of PS.... But my prongs never wore on my original set and both of the rings I wear now are platium (and from what I've read about platinum... it doesn't wear away... it moves... so I don't think that's an issue.)

I have rings to wear and for me to enjoy... It truly made me sad to read the other threads about what, when, and how often people here on PS wear their beautiful rings.... Some only wear them out of the house and others don't even do that!!???

I like to look at my rings whether I'm at home, at work, in the car, etc.... I have the rings to please me! I don't like to save my "good china" for only special occasions... EVERY DAY is a special occasion!

I know what you mean, but you really can't enjoy a ring while sleeping or showering, or even doing housework, so its best to remove them at those times. I have some rings I wear every day, but I don't wear them 24/7, and there's a big difference. I would also be horrified to wake up one day and find my stone missing, or going down the shower drain.

 

[indigoblue]

I've read about the friction wearing the prongs in a couple of other threads in other sections of PS.... But my prongs never wore on my original set and both of the rings I wear now are platium (and from what I've read about platinum... it doesn't wear away... it moves... so I don't think that's an issue.)

I have rings to wear and for me to enjoy... It truly made me sad to read the other threads about what, when, and how often people here on PS wear their beautiful rings.... Some only wear them out of the house and others don't even do that!!???

I like to look at my rings whether I'm at home, at work, in the car, etc.... I have the rings to please me! I don't like to save my "good china" for only special occasions... EVERY DAY is a special occasion!

I know what you mean, but you really can't enjoy a ring while sleeping or showering, or even doing housework, so its best to remove them at those times. I have some rings I wear every day, but I don't wear them 24/7, and there's a big difference. I would also be horrified to wake up one day and find my stone missing, or going down the shower drain.

Amen to that! I'd hate the sinking feeling of seeing a stone go down the drain. I don't usually take them off to wash my hands at work because I'm afraid of leaving them on the counter, but at home I do (if they aren't off already). I hate, hate, hate getting hand lotion on them.

And I love to admire my rings in the car. That's one of my favorite places because they are usually so sparkly when my hands are on the steering wheel. Lots of gals have posted pictures taken while waiting at stop lights.

 

[mastercutgems]

I agree with many that posted that most rings unless a regular band are not to be worn every day unless care is taken when doing things that could chip or abrade a gem.

Here is a little something on the Moh's hardness scale of gems.

The Moh's (Mohs) scale of hardness is the most common method used to rank gemstones and minerals according to hardness. Devised by German mineralogist Friedrich Moh in 1812, this scale grades minerals on a scale from 1 (very soft) to 10 (very hard). Because the Mohs scale is a relative scale, the difference between the hardness of a diamond and that of a ruby is much greater than the difference in hardness between calcite and gypsum. As an example, diamond (10) is about 4-5 times harder than corundum (9), which is about 2 times harder than topaz (.

So that being said ; even though ( and correct me if I am wrong) corundum being the hardest colored gem under diamond; it still can have wear issues.
I have re-pre-polish/polished 100's of sapphire and ruby crowns due to abrasions; but they by far are more durable than Aqua, Topaz, tourmaline , and garnets...

You have been given some good advise; wear any gemstone ring even diamond with care as you or someone spent a lot of money for it and just look after it like you would a fine automobile LOL

Most Respectfully;

Dana Reynolds
ASG Certified Supreme Master Gem Cutter
#96CGE42

 

[rockhoundofficiando]

[

Knoop shows the relationship more accurately than Moh's.

 

[T L]

[

Knoop shows the relationship more accurately than Moh's.

Yes, the hardness scale is definitely not linear. Diamond is harder than corundum many times over.

 

[PrecisionGem]

One thing to keep in mind is that the hardness scale is just a stones ability to resist being scratched. A sapphire at a hard ness of 9, can only be scratched by another sapphire or diamond. Any stone can be chipped, including diamonds. There are people who make a living out of cleaning up the crowns of damaged diamonds. Almost everyone who comes over wants to look at their diamond under microscope, and are shocked at what a mess the crowns are, not to mentions all the other dirt and crude caked into the ring and prongs surrounding the stone. Any stone with a hardness above 7 will be harder than most things you will ever come in contact with as far as getting scratched. Your kitchen knife can not scratch a tourmaline for example.

Toughness and hardness are 2 different things. There are stones that are very tough, yet are not very hard.

 

[T L]

One thing to keep in mind is that the hardness scale is just a stones ability to resist being scratched. A sapphire at a hard ness of 9, can only be scratched by another sapphire or diamond. Any stone can be chipped, including diamonds. There are people who make a living out of cleaning up the crowns of damaged diamonds. Almost everyone who comes over wants to look at their diamond under microscope, and are shocked at what a mess the crowns are, not to mentions all the other dirt and crude caked into the ring and prongs surrounding the stone. Any stone with a hardness above 7 will be harder than most things you will ever come in contact with as far as getting scratched. Your kitchen knife can not scratch a tourmaline for example.

Toughness and hardness are 2 different things. There are stones that are very tough, yet are not very hard.

True, I think stones like chrysoberyl are less prone to chipping than diamond, although I could be wrong. This is due to the cleavage planes.

 

[JewelPhenom]

One thing to keep in mind is that the hardness scale is just a stones ability to resist being scratched. A sapphire at a hardness of 9, can only be scratched by another sapphire or diamond. Any stone can be chipped, including diamonds. ... Almost everyone who comes over wants to look at their diamond under microscope.....
Toughness and hardness are 2 different things. There are stones that are very tough, yet are not very hard.

Gene, your post is spot on.

I am resetting a Burmese unheated ruby. After the ruby ring was worn almost daily for several years with little thought about its care, a diamond baguette was chipped and the crown of the ruby abraded, as evidenced under the microscope.

The newly polished ruby will be reset into a custom designed semi bezel ring that will offer more protection against abrasion and chipping. And once the ruby is set, much more care will be given when wearing it. JewelPhenom