Moissanite, a naturally occurring silicon-carbide, is almost as hard as diamond. It is a rare mineral, discovered by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893 while examining rock samples from a meteor crater located in Canyon Diablo, Arizona. Hexagonal boron-nitride is 18% harder than diamond.
Musgravite. Musgravite was discovered in 1967 and is arguably the rarest gemstone in the world. It was first discovered in Musgrave Ranges, Australia, and later found in Madagascar and Greenland.
Diamond is the hardest known mineral, Mohs' 10.
Both granite and quartzite are very hard, but on the Mohs scale of hardness (from 1 to 10, with 10 being hardest) quartzite has the slight edge. It measures around 7 whereas granite measures around 6 to 6.5. While quartzite is slightly harder than granite, it's important to understand that it's not bullet proof.
Amethyst is a quartz, which ranks at a 7 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. You can see from "absolute" hardness that diamond is actually 16 times harder than quartz, and sapphire (in the corundum family) is 4 times harder than quartz.
Top 15 Most Expensive Gemstones In The World
- Blue Diamond – $3.93 million per carat.
- Jadeite – $3 million per carat.
- Pink Diamond – $1.19 million per carat.
- Red Diamond – $1,000,000 per carat.
- Emerald – $305,000 per carat.
- Taaffeite – $35,000 per carat.
- Grandidierite – $20,000 per carat.
- Serendibite – $18,000 per carat.
White Sapphire is the clear winner in terms of a natural diamond alternative. Those choosing White Sapphire should expect white sparkle only as compared with the white and colored sparkle diamond offers.
When someone says “you're a gem” they usually mean that you are special or unique in some way or that you've done something special or unexpected. A “gem” is a gemstone, and each gemstone is both unique and valuable (though some are more valuable than others.) In normal usage, this is a positive statement.
Top 15 Most Expensive Gemstones In The World
- Blue Diamond – $3.93 million per carat.
- Jadeite – $3 million per carat.
- Pink Diamond – $1.19 million per carat.
- Red Diamond – $1,000,000 per carat.
- Emerald – $305,000 per carat.
- Taaffeite – $35,000 per carat.
- Grandidierite – $20,000 per carat.
- Serendibite – $18,000 per carat.
Determining the quality of a gemstone involves what jewelers refer to as the “four C's.” They are as follows:
- Color.
- Clarity.
- Cut.
- Carat Weight.
Gemstones such as black opal, alexandrite, tanzanite and others are prized for their color and scarcity. Jadeite is only found in limited quantities and the deep, translucent green is considered to have the most value.
AAA - “AAA” grade is assigned to a gemstone that is considered to “being near perfect.” Though these stones do show some variation in colour, they are clean, well cut and polished. AAA quality gemstones are the most sought out precious stones, for the cut is perfect and the colour is vibrant.
"Many colored gemstones are much more valuable than a diamond, but it all depends on the quality of course. A ruby is rarer and more expensive." An emerald is rarer than a diamond by far, and large emeralds are very expensive and exceed the costs of diamonds, but they don't have the same ability to take wear and tear."
The most popular gemstone for investors is definitely the diamond. Other gemstones like the ruby and the emerald (also the tanzanite, the alexandrite and other particularly rare varieties) can also be considered an excellent investment and can increase their value in time, even more than the diamond.
What is the most durable gemstone? Many people would say diamond that diamond is the most durable gem since it is the hardest of all gemstone materials.
Topaz is an 8 on the standard Mohs hardness scale. Diamond is the hardest substance, topping the scale at 10. On one hand, topaz is a relatively hard stone. In practical terms, this means topaz scratches a heck of lot easier than diamond.
Specifically, you don't want to pay for a ruby and wear a garnet. However, rubies are considered one of the most valuable gemstones whereas garnets are, well, not. Rubies are harder, a much more brilliant red, and much more expensive.
Diamonds break when they are subjected to impact, and sometimes, when there is a buildup of pressure inside the stone (called strain), a slight tap in just the right place (or just the wrong place) will result in the stone breaking so the pressure can escape.
The answer is simple – the Mohs scale of hardness. In 1812, Friedrich Mohs – famous geologist and mineralogist created a scale of mineral hardness grading from the softest (1) to the hardest (10).
The Mohs Scale – A List of Gemstone Hardness.
| Gem | Hardness |
|---|
| Diamond | 10 |
| Ruby | 9 |
| Sapphire | 9 |
| Chrysoberyl | 8.5 |
Moissanite: The Second Hardest Mineral in Nature after Diamond.
Diamond is graded the hardest (10), followed by ruby and sapphire (9), topaz, emerald and spinel (8), and garnet, tourmaline and quartz (7).
Gemstone Durability and Hardness.
| Diamond Hardnesss 10 | Sapphire Hardness 9 | Topaz Hardness 8 |
| Garnet Hardness 7-7.5 | Tourmaline Hardness 7-7.5 | Amethyst Hardness 7 |
Garnets can be worn every day in the form of earrings, rings, and necklaces, with the exception of demantoid garnet, which is more suited to necklaces and pins. Try wearing deep red garnets with different colors in your wardrobe—a black and white outfit with red garnets looks spectacular and polished.
Sapphires are very durable, so while they do scratch and can chip, you'll probably get many years of wear. Eventually, you may notice some scratches, and you can always have your sapphire resurfaced. Sapphires come in a rainbow of colors and hues!
