Gem Stones Hardness and Durability

Ideally when worn in jewellery a gem needs to be hard and durable. The hardness of a gem is measured on the Moh's scale, a non-linear scale from 1 to 10 - 1 is talc, 10 is diamond. The lower number can be scratched by the number above it.

Brittleness is also important, hardness covers abrasion, or rubbing wear, brittleness is sharp point damage.

When deciding on a design, when and where you will be wearing it should be considered, in addition to what you like.