expert answers to common gemstone questions covering quality, authenticity, certification, pricing, treatments, value, and gemstone care tips.
Tanzanite is kind of delicate, has a Mohs hardness of around 6 to 7, and that perfect cleavage thing, so it becomes very vulnerable to scratching, chipping, and even breaking when you put it under physical pressure. Even though people love its stunning purplish blue look, tanzanite isn’t a hard-wearing stone. It should never be…
Spinel is highly durable and a good pick for everyday wear; it shows off an impressive Mohs hardness of 8, and it also has a complete lack of cleavage, which gives it extra toughness against chipping. Historically, it has been mixed up with rubies and sapphires; spinel shares a lot of corundum’s solid physical qualities….
Peridot needs careful handling because it has somewhat fair durability, with a Mohs hardness range of around 6.5 to 7, but it is notably prone to thermal shock and harsh acidic chemicals. In a physical sense, it is softer than quartz, so it will end up wearing scratches over time if you use it every…
Moonstone feels pretty fragile, with a Mohs hardness of around 6 to 6.5, plus perfect cleavage, so it’s highly vulnerable to being scratched, getting edge chips, and breaking all at once if it takes a sudden impact. Due to how its inner arrangement works, a sharp strike at the wrong angle can literally split the…
Garnet durability can land somewhere between fair and good, with a Mohs hardness that swings from about 6.5 up to 7.5 depending on the particular species. Because of that, it tends to be a reasonable choice for careful everyday wear, though you still need to treat it gently. The garnet family covers several separate minerals,…
Citrine brings a pretty reasonable resilience; you see a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale, so it works for most jewellery pieces, but it still can be marked by scratches from everyday gritty dust, over time, maybe a bit more than people expect. Since it’s a quartz variety, citrine is tough enough for pendants, studs,…
Chrysoberyl is one of the more durable gemstones you can get, with a pretty formidable Mohs hardness of 8.5 and an exceptional toughness that fights off chipping and scratching with ease. It also has high density and a complete lack of structural cleavage, so the mineral stays astonishingly stable. Whether you see it faceted as…
Aquamarine has good overall sturdiness, with a Mohs hardness around 7.5 to 8, so it is highly resistant to being scratched, but even so, its crystalline framework still needs shielding from hard direct hits. Since it usually forms in big, cleaner crystals with few internal inclusions, aquamarine tends to show reliable structural stability. It is…
Alexandrite seems incredibly durable, and it makes sense for everyday wear too, with hardness around 8.5 on the Mohs scale, plus great tenacity coming from its sturdy chrysoberyl crystal structure. Compared with gentler, easily damaged colour-change stones, alexandrite does not have cleavage, so it resists breaking apart or shattering when it gets hit. Because of…
Rubies are unusually durable, sitting at 9 on the Mohs scale, so they handle scratching extremely well and end up being really ideal for daily use in rough situations like engagement rings. As a kind of mineral corundum, ruby is beaten in sheer hardness only by diamonds. Also, rubies have great toughness, which makes them…