![]() Unfortunately, opals aren’t a great choice for future heirlooms. This has led to its growing popularity for engagement rings. ![]() The always-beautiful opal displays a captivating dance of colors in the right light. For instance, many diamonds have these features-and with exceptional durability, too. Once you know what it is you like about moonstone, you may be surprised by your options. ![]() Is it the silvery shine? The stone’s opaque nature? The cabochon cut? Figure out which quality of moonstone it is that you love. If you’ve had your heart set on a moonstone for your engagement ring, we can help you find an alternative. Unfortunately, this beauty comes at a price: moonstone is incredibly soft (it will scratch) and has poor toughness (it can cleave in two with one bad hit). With its ethereal elegance, moonstone is a beautiful gemstone. We want to ensure you have a gemstone that is durable and will remain safely in its setting for decades to come, so that’s why we recommend against soft gems. Anything below will accrue damage over time, often through activities you may not be aware are harmful: reaching into your pocket, opening your car door, brushing against the kitchen counter, and more. Most stones fall below our recommended hardness, 9 or higher. Since engagement rings are meant to last a lifetime (or even many generations) this is where the problem comes in. By contrast, pearls rank at 2.5 (the same as a fingernail!) If you’ve ever wondered why diamonds are the go-to stone for the majority of engagement rings, the Mohs scale sheds light on why: diamonds rank at the top, 10. The Mohs scale lists a mineral’s hardness by ranking it on an exponential scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the softest and 10 is the hardest. There are a lot of gemstones we do not offer for engagement rings,to help you make an informed choice, we’ll go over these stones, the reasons why we don’t offer them, and some alternative stones.īut first, we have to talk about something called the Mohs scale. A poorly chosen center stone stands a chance of being damaged-or worse, destroyed-and perhaps sooner than you’d think. ![]() Unfortunately, what looks pretty isn’t always the best choice for future heirlooms. Have you ever seen an unusual gemstone while browsing engagement rings? While a lot of these gems are gorgeous, there’s a reason a handful of stones are traditionally used for jewelry: they’re strong enough for day-to-day wear. Read on to learn about our stone choices and how they lend themselves to becoming future heirlooms. We always strive to make jewelry that isn’t simply beautiful, but will also last a lifetime. While you can find some special statement pieces (large blue zircon rings are often flanked with diamonds - like the one above) as a typically inexpensive gemstone, zircon in a smaller stone works perfectly for a token promise ring while you hold out for the real rock.We’re often asked why we use some stones and not others. Found in a variety of colours, it differs with reddish brown, yellow, blue, green and colourless variations, the colour can be changed and enhanced with heat treatments. Zircon (not to be confused with the man-made cubic zirconia) is a crystal that sits at 7.5 on the Mohs scale. So now, for our ultimate A-Z of gemstones. Likewise, some stones are heat-treated to make them more vibrant so talk to your jeweller about any effects that may have on the stone, and the price. But it is savvy to be aware of them, and know exactly what you're purchasing. There is nothing wrong with lab-grown gemstones, they look beautiful, they can be a sustainable option and they can often be more affordable than the natural stones. These are stones that, while created in a lab rather than in the ground, display the same physical make-up as naturally occurring gemstones. These are old terms associated with rarity and value, and won't always be reflected in today's markets, as some stones get rarer and others decrease in value, but generally speaking, the 'big four' will be more expensive to purchase than the rest of the gems on our list. There are only four precious stones, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires, most of the rest on the list are semi-precious stones. Photo by Emilia Jane Photography via Style Me Pretty
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