This is an extremely important factor when considering your gemstone jewellery.
Durability is one of the characteristics that allows a stone to be classed as a gem: the higher the durability and resistance to wear, the more highly prized the gemstone often becomes.
A gem must be durable enough to withstand the stresses and forces involved in faceting and setting in jewellery, along with standing up to everyday wear.
There are three aspects of durability: hardness, toughness and stability:
Hardness is the ability to resist scratching;
Toughness is the ability to resist breaking or chipping;
Stability is the resistance to changes caused by environmental factors such as temperature, chemicals or light.
Many people confuse hardness with toughness. Hardness is measured with the Mohs Scale.Emerald measures 8, whilst Tsavorite measures 7-7.5. The fact that Emerald is harder than Tsavorite might make you think it is more durable than Tsavorite, but this is not the case. Emerald is simply less likely to be scratched, but due to its crystal structure it is actually more likely to be damaged by knocks and bangs.
