Sapphire Vs Diamond Hardness
Couples looking for a natural diamond alternative should choose white sapphire.
Sapphire vs diamond hardness. 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. While sapphires score 400 points on the mohs scale diamonds score an incredible 1500 points. The problem is that the one rating point extra that the diamond has is the equivalent of about 4x the hardness. When choosing which stone has a better durability we need to compare how they respond to scratching abrasion and chipping.
Sapphire actually comes next with a rating of 9. White sapphire vs diamond in terms of its price. As you may have already guessed sapphire engagement rings are more affordable than those with diamonds. Budget usually plays an important role in the engagement and wedding process.
Which is better white sapphire or moissanite. Of course diamonds and sapphires both come in a wide range of prices depending on their size. Thus they are are nearly 4 times less prone to getting scratches on the surface. Diamond engagement rings hardness winner diamonds.
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. Cost of white sapphires vs diamonds a price comparison. Everyday hazards such as this make gemstone hardness an important consideration when designing and wearing jewelry. If you hit a diamond with a hammer it ll shatter into a dozen pieces.
To give you an idea of price differences between a white sapphire and a diamond i ve listed two 1 carat size examples below. No doubt you ll hear that sapphire s mohs hardness of 9 is much lower than diamond s 10. See how sapphires are rated in hardness toughness and durability on the mohs scale the gemstone and mineral guide to hardness. The hardness of a substance is measured in mohs and indicates the tendency of a stone to getting scratches and abrasions.
In fact diamonds are the most expensive gemstone price per carat and the demand for them is actually engineered through clever marketing campaigns. However there s an old saying among gemologists. 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. Sapphires have excellent hardness and durability.
You may know that diamond with a hardness of 10 is the hardest material in the gem world. 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. In other words sapphires are very durable but not near as durable as diamonds. 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.
Nevertheless practically speaking that difference makes little difference. As we ve said diamond is the hardest mineral known to man rating 10 on the mohs hardness scale.