Top 10 Best Gemstones for Engagement Rings

Of course, color is important. But engagement ring symbolism should be available in the qualities of the chosen gem - relationships are supposed to be long-lasting, so the gem should be hard, durable and resistant to scratching, cracking and chipping.

Gemstones to avoid for engagement rings - Pearl, Emerald, Opal (emeralds are pretty resistant to scratching, but they are extremely susceptible to cracking and chipping).

In this list I try to present the most suitable gem choices by several criteria that should be taken into account when choosing an engagement ring:

1) gem quality - nobody wants to see an engagement ring that gets scratched, cracked or chipped too soon (hardness on Mohs scale tells a lot about the gem quality though it isn't the only factor)

2) affordability - that's very important (I could put on this list only diamonds with different colors but how many people can afford diamonds?)

3) available color varieties of the gem (you need color choices).
The Top Ten
1 Colorless Diamond

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 10.0 (10 is the highest, meaning the highest resistance to scratching).

Diamonds are the most durable gems and, yes, very beautiful. Colorless diamonds are the classic choice for engagement rings, but not everyone can afford them.

This is the most common gem type I have often seen used.

2 Sapphire

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 9.0

Advantages:
1. It's very hard, durable, and has incredible scratch resistance.
2. Sapphires come in every hue except red, so you have color choices.

Sapphire is also the gemstone of royalty. Kate Middleton received a sapphire engagement ring that once belonged to Princess Diana, Prince William's mother. Other celebrities who have had engagement rings with sapphires include the Empress Josephine, Penelope Cruz, and Elizabeth Hurley, to name a few.

3 Morganite

Hardness on the Mohs Scale: 7.5 - 8.0.
It's also known as "pink beryl," "rose beryl," "pink emerald," and "cesian (or caesian) beryl."
Advantages:

1) Morganite is pinkish, and most females would like the color because it's very feminine and sweet.
2) Morganite's hardness isn't the highest, but it's still excellent, and morganite is resistant to scratching.
3) The gem is relatively affordable.

4 Topaz

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 8.0

Advantages:
1. Pretty hard and durable
2. Comes in many hues: colorless, blue, yellow, brown, orange, gray, green, pink, and reddish-pink
(In the image, you see a reddish-brown variety)

5 Ruby

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 9.0

Ruby is a classic, timeless choice for an engagement ring. As one of the hardest gems, its durability ensures it will look good even after many years of wear. Just make sure your partner likes red, as the only color options for rubies are basically red, with slight variations that can include pinkish, purplish, or orangish hues.

6 Green Diamond

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 10.0

Green diamond has all the great qualities of a colorless diamond. It's just a color option if your partner likes green. However, it's pricey.

7 White Star Sapphire

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 9.0 (excellent)

Star sapphire exhibits a rare asterism under specific lighting conditions: a six-rayed star.

8 Aquamarine

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 7.5 - 8.0

Its pale blue color is very beautiful, but aquamarine will show scratches on its surface over time, and it may even chip if the owner isn't careful.

9 White Zircon
10 Goshenite

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 7.5 - 8

Goshenite is the colorless, transparent variety of beryl.

Advantages:
1. It looks like a diamond and can easily be confused with one, but it's affordable. Before the introduction of synthetic diamonds, goshenite was often used as a diamond alternative.
2. Like all beryls except for emeralds, goshenite has excellent hardness, durability, and toughness.
3. Its excellent transparency was noticed long ago. It was once used for manufacturing eyeglasses because it was superior to glass.

The Contenders
11 Yellow Chrysoberyl

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 8.5 (excellent hardness)

Yellow chrysoberyl with a cat's eye effect is also known as cymophane or cat's eye chrysoberyl. Cat's eye became popular in the 19th century when the Duke of Connaught gave a cat's eye engagement ring. And why not? It looks like "milk and honey" - it has a sharp milky ray of white light on a honey-colored background. What would be better than a "milk and honey" marriage?

I added Yellow Chrysoberyl just to include the color yellow as a possible option, although many gems that were already mentioned have yellow varieties.

12 Cubic Zirconia
13 Tourmaline

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 7 - 7.5
Green is the classic color of the gem, but you have other color choices: blue, pink, purple, red, yellow.

14 Green Beryl

Hardness on Mohs Scale: 7.5 - 8.0

Advantages:
1. If you want a green gem but can't afford a green diamond or green sapphire, green beryl can be a good alternative.
2. Green beryl is also a great emerald alternative, because an emerald is just a deep green variety of the same mineral (beryl). However, emerald is extremely susceptible to cracking and chipping, whereas green beryl isn't.
3. Excellent hardness, toughness, and resistance to corrosive substances.
4. Excellent affordability: $1/carat - $2/carat. For comparison, only lower-quality emeralds are found at this price, whereas medium-quality emeralds are priced at $5,000/carat - $9,000/carat.

Bottom line: Green beryl is a quality gem at a low price. It isn't expensive because it isn't rare. Emeralds are expensive because they are very rare, not because they are of better quality.

15 Red Spinel
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