How to Choose the Right Gemstone for a Wedding Ring – The Pretty Pear Bride

While there are many factors you should consider when choosing a gemstone for a wedding ring, its hardness and design are by far the most important. That makes so much sense considering a wedding ring is something you want to wear every day for a long time. 

You may want to stick to tougher stones that are hard enough to withstand the abuse of daily activities. Otherwise, your ring may break, chip, or get eroded. The hardness of precious stones and minerals is ranked on a numbered scale called the Mohs scale. 

Stones lower on the scale are softer while the ones higher on the scale are the hardest. The top hardest stones are diamond, moissanite, ruby, and sapphire. 

Let’s dive in and discuss the best gemstones for a wedding ring!

Diamonds

If you guessed that diamonds are the best gemstones for wedding rings, you’re right. The phrase “diamonds are forever” couldn’t have been truer. These gemstones rank highest on the Mohs scale of hardness at level 10, which explains their resistance to scratching, bashing, and everyday pressure. Diamonds are so hard that they can only be scratched by other diamonds. 

Apart from being hard, diamonds also have other characteristics that make them more desirable. They are incredibly versatile and can be shaped into many unusual shapes to appease your sense of uniqueness. Also, when a diamond is well-cut, it offers great dispersion and reflection of light.

Another aspect to consider when choosing diamond for your wedding ring is whether it has been certified. A certified diamond has been lab-tested and accurately measured to determine its clarity, color, cut, and carat weight. 

Certified diamonds are often significantly more expensive than non-certified ones. If you prefer a smaller stone, getting a certified diamond may not make a huge chip in your bank account. However, if you require a larger stone and are working with a tighter budget, it may be a more suitable idea to get a non-certified diamond from a trusted jeweler. Also keep in mind that handcrafted jewelry shops are a good way to save money but still ensure high quality.

The size of a diamond as well as its clarity, color, cut, and carat weight have a significant impact on its price.

Synthetic moissanite

Synthetic moissanite is an artificial gemstone that closely resembles diamonds. It comes immediately after diamonds in the Mohs scale of hardness with a hardness of 9.25 and is also known to wear similarly.

While these gemstones are tough enough to withstand the abuse of everyday wear from a materials science point of view, they are a little bit too costly for an artificial stone. You could get a synthetic diamond or a second-hand diamond on a new setting at their price.

Ruby and Sapphire

Ruby and sapphire come from the same gem family – corundum and have a hardness of 9. However, the Mohs scale is a relative scale with varying distances between stones at different levels. The distance between talc at number one and ruby and sapphire at number 9 is less than the hardness distance between the two at number 9 and diamond at number 10. 

This difference means that ruby and sapphire are significantly softer than diamonds and are much more easily scratched and chipped. 

Final Thoughts

While we recommend choosing the hardest precious stones for your wedding rings, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t go for the others when the situation calls for it. You could consider softer materials such as emeralds, but you will need to provide them with protection from the abuse of everyday activities. 

It’s also important to remember to keep the harmony between your wedding ring and engagement ring so that they complement each other.

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Shafonne Myers is a certified wedding and event planner who longed for bridal inspiration that looked like her. She has created a website and magazine that brings bridal inspiration to plus size brides. She does speaking engagements educating the world about plus size brides and self confidence.