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Toughness
This property refers to how easily a stone chips, cracks, or cleaves. As with hardness, there is a strong relationship between toughness and the price of the gemstone--the tougher the gem, the higher the price. Some gems are more likely to chip, crack, or cleave with normal wear, but they are generally less expensive, and therefore more replaceable. Opals, for instance, would be more expensive if they were not so susceptible to scratching and chipping. Please note that hardness and toughness are two completely independent properties. One stone may be very soft, yet very tough. Nephrite Jade would be an example of this. Another gem might be quite hard, yet not be very tough, such as Emerald. And then there is Opal, which is neither hard, nor tough. All character qualities of your gemstone must be taken into consideration when deciding what kind of precautions you should to take for your jewelry.
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Not Very Tough – These stones are best suited for earrings or pendants. If you do wear one of these gems in a ring, even for occasional wear, they can chip. All it takes is one good bump. Fortunately, most can be replaced at a reasonable price. Even with the more expensive stones, they can often be repaired by re-cutting. Some of the commonly used gems in this category include Apatite, most Corals, Chrome Diopside, Emeralds that contain naturally occurring fractures, Moonstone, Opal, Peridot, Tanzanite, and Zircon. Opals are one of the more expensive of these gems, and in most cases re-polishing them is less expensive than replacing them.
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Moderately Tough – These stones are appropriate for all types of jewelry. They are suitable for everyday wear. While we do occasionally see gems damaged in this category, it is not common, and it mostly occurs to people with very active hands. Some of the commonly used gems in this category include Agate, Alexandrite, Aquamarine, Chrysoberyl Cat’s-eye and all other Chrysoberyls, Cultured Pearls, Emeralds that are relatively free of fractures, all other beryls, Garnet, Iolite, Lapis Lazuli, Spinel, Topaz, Tourmaline, Turquoise, Amethyst, Citrine, and all other Quartz.
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Tough –If you have very active hands or if you want to wear your jewelry daily, these are some of the best stones for withstanding everyday bumps and bruises. Most of the time, these stones can be worn a lifetime without being chipped. The gemstones included in this category include Nephrite Jade, Jadeite, all Sapphires including Ruby, and Diamond. Diamond is not quite as tough as the other stones mentioned in this category, but better than the gems mentioned in the previous category.
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