Rubies have a hardness of 9 0 on the mohs scale of mineral hardness among the natural gems only moissanite and diamond are harder with diamond having a mohs hardness of 10 0 and moissanite falling somewhere in between corundum ruby and diamond in hardness.
Sapphire vs diamond hardness.
At a hardness of 10 only another diamond could scratch a.
Couples looking for a natural diamond alternative should choose white sapphire.
You may know that diamond with a hardness of 10 is the hardest material in the gem world.
Hardness and durability if you are going to wear your stone on a regular basis as in an engagement or wedding ring durability is something to consider.
Sapphire ruby and pure corundum are α alumina the most stable form of al 2 o 3 in which 3 electrons leave each aluminium ion to.
If you hit a diamond with a hammer it ll shatter into a dozen pieces.
That s because white sapphire grows in the earth s crust and it s naturally white too so it s untreated unlike most blue sapphire.
However there s an old saying among gemologists.
The hardness of a substance is measured in mohs and indicates the tendency of a stone to getting scratches and abrasions.
Which is better white sapphire or moissanite.
Sapphire actually comes next with a rating of 9.
In fact diamonds are the most expensive gemstone price per carat and the demand for them is actually engineered through clever marketing campaigns.
The problem is that the one rating point extra that the diamond has is the equivalent of about 4x the hardness.
To give you an idea of price differences between a white sapphire and a diamond i ve listed two 1 carat size examples below.
A gemstone s hardness measures its resistance to scratching.
White sapphire vs diamond in terms of its price.
As we ve said diamond is the hardest mineral known to man rating 10 on the mohs hardness scale.
Nevertheless practically speaking that difference makes little difference.
Of course diamonds and sapphires both come in a wide range of prices depending on their size.
As you may have already guessed sapphire engagement rings are more affordable than those with diamonds.
Sapphires have excellent hardness and durability.
Thus they are are nearly 4 times less prone to getting scratches on the surface.
Cost of white sapphires vs diamonds a price comparison.
Diana ring with 7mm diamond vs bekah ring with 7mm white sapphire vs asha ring with 7mm moissanite.
Everyday hazards such as this make gemstone hardness an important consideration when designing and wearing jewelry.
When choosing which stone has a better durability we need to compare how they respond to scratching abrasion and chipping.
See how sapphires are rated in hardness toughness and durability on the mohs scale the gemstone and mineral guide to hardness.
In other words sapphires are very durable but not near as durable as diamonds.
No doubt you ll hear that sapphire s mohs hardness of 9 is much lower than diamond s 10.
Learn why sapphires are an ideal gemstone for jewelry because of their hardness and durability in withstanding every day wear and tear with information on current trends.