Gemstones and Durability

By Gerald D. Sisk, Jr.

Co-Founder
Jewelry Television

Whenever I discuss the topic of gemstone durability with most people,

they think of hardness. However, hardness is only one facet (please forgive
the pun) of durability. Durability is also tempered by toughness and stabil-
ity. Each of these three factors is important and determines how well a
gemstone will survive the rigors of day-to-day wear. Let’s start with hard-
ness first.

Hardness is simply the ability to resist scratching. There is a common scale

used as a relative guideline for hardness. It was devised in 1822 by a
German mineralogist named Friedrich Mohs and consisted of 10 minerals
commonly available at that time. It is called appropriately, the Mohs scale,
and serves as a basis for standards of
comparison.

The scale runs from 1 to 10, with talc

18kt White Gold 1.92ctw Natural Yellow And White
Diamond Cluster Ring
being the softest mineral and diamond
the hardest. The degree of hardness
from one stone to the next on the scale
varies and has no quantitative meaning.
Simply stated, any mineral will scratch
another mineral of similar or lesser
hardness on the scale.
Generally speaking, stones exhibiting a hardness of 7 or greater are suitable
for all forms of jewelry. I say generally because there is still the issue of
toughness and stability to be considered.

You may have noticed that I drew

an arbitrary line at 7, the hardness
of quartz. I did so for a couple of
reasons. The first is our environ-
ment. Most metals and materials
we encounter on a day-to-day basis
are softer than quartz, so they pose
no serious “scratch” threat to
stones 7 and above on the Mohs
scale.
201.50ct Faceted Free Form Rutilated Quartz
Secondly, quartz is also the most-
common gemstone material on
planet Earth, and quartz dust can be found nearly everywhere. That same
dust can and does accumulate on surfaces, including the facets of gem-
stones.

Does that mean that softer gemstones are taboo? Not at all! Generally,
softer gemstones are more suitable for pendants and earrings, but can be
set in rings and bracelets. It simply means that softer stones require a little
more care and attention to prolong their life and beauty.

If you are an active person, always remove your jewelry before working in
the yard or exercising. It is also important to keep all your jewelry separated
when not in use. Never let any piece of jewelry make contact with another
in your jewelry box. While diamonds are a “girl’s best friend,” they are also
the hardest natural substance. They should never come into contact with
each other or any piece of jewelry that you value.

When using a cloth to clean you favorite gemstone, consider the hardness.
Never use the same cloth to clean, for example, both rubies and apatite.
Particles of ruby may become lodged in the cloth and abrade your beautiful
apatite ring. I use separate cleaning cloths at home for a variety of stones
and I clean my cloths at regular intervals, dependant on usage.

Even though hardness is an extremely important factor when discussing

durability, it must be tempered with toughness. Toughness is used to de-
scribe any material’s ability to resist chipping, cracking and breaking.

Nephrite, a form of jade, is considerably softer than topaz, yet it is incredi-

bly tougher due to its interlocking fibrous structure. It is so tough in fact,
that is has even been carved into tools and weapons.

A good way to demonstrate the difference between hardness and tough-

ness is to consider two balls, one made of glass and the other of rubber.
The former is significantly harder than the latter. Yet if you were to drop
both from the second story of your home onto a concrete driveway, there
is no doubt which one is tougher.

While the rubber ball is considerably softer than glass, you will be able to
retrieve it after it stops bouncing. On the other hand, the harder glass ball
will require the services of a broom and dustpan.

The last aspect of durability is stability. Stability refers to how well a gem-
stone resists the effects of chemicals, heat and light. While some minerals
may be hard enough to be worn,
they may not be resistant to many
household cleaners or detergents.
If they react with mild acids or
corrosives, their chances of sur-
vival are not good.

Some minerals may be sensitive to

heat or changes in temperature. A
jeweler’s torch, commonly used on
precious metals such as silver,
gold and platinum, gets hot Very Fine Rich Color 135.81ct Oval Custom Cut Amethyst
from US.
enough to burn some gemstones. Others, like amethyst, may loose or
change color entirely when sufficient heat is applied.

Another aspect is thermal transfer. Simply walking from the warm interior
of your home in Nome, Alaska, to the brisk -10°F on the way to work may
cause some minerals to crack or fracture. It’s the same effect that occurs
when hot water is poured into a chilled glass.

Sunlight may also be detrimental. Some natural gemstones, such as kunzite,

may fade upon prolonged exposure. Certain
treatments may also be very unstable on some
species of gemstones. If left exposed to day-
light, many either fade or revert back to their
rather uninspiring origins.

It is important to remember that no matter

how hard, tough or stable your favorite gem-
62.41ct 24.92x20.21mm Cushion Kunzite stone may be, it is not indestructible. Proper
From Pakistan care and maintenance is a must for prolonged
beauty and enjoyment.