Free tool
Will it survive?
Household dust contains quartz at Mohs 7. Anything softer than that is being sanded by ordinary life, which is the whole reason some stones look tired after two years and others look new after twenty.
Every stone, ranked
| Stone | Mohs | Toughness | Daily wear |
|---|
Durability questions
- What is the hardest gemstone for an engagement ring?
- Diamond at Mohs 10, then sapphire and ruby at 9, then alexandrite at 8.5 and spinel at 8. Anything at 8 or above will survive being worn every day without special care.
- Why is Mohs 7 the line that matters?
- Because ordinary household dust contains quartz, which is Mohs 7. Anything softer than the dust in the air is being sanded every time you wipe a surface, which is why soft stones go cloudy in rings and stay bright in earrings.
- Can you have an opal or tanzanite engagement ring?
- You can buy one, and we will not make you one. Opal is 5.5 to 6.5 and tanzanite 6 to 7, so both are below the dust line and both will visibly deteriorate in a ring worn daily. In a pendant or earrings they last indefinitely.
- Is emerald tough enough for daily wear?
- It is hard enough at 7.5 to 8 and not tough enough, which are different properties. Emerald is full of internal inclusions and fractures along them, so it wants a bezel that takes the knock rather than claws that expose the girdle.
- Does a harder stone mean a better stone?
- No, it means a more durable one. Hardness says nothing about colour, rarity or value. It only predicts how the stone will look in ten years of being worn on a hand.