Gemstones offer us so much by way of history, culture, personality and meaning. With their vast array of colours, shapes, and sizes there is literally, something for everyone when it comes to gemstone jewellery.

What I love about precious gemstones and jewellery is how they allow for people to celebrate their differences. Diamonds are beautiful, valuable, and treasured but I don’t believe we get the same personality as you might from a mesmerising Emerald or bright Sapphire.

But how suitable are gemstones for use in jewellery and should they be just a collector’s item? Truth be told, some gems and minerals should stay as they are and become a collectors item or maybe a piece that is made to be worn for weddings or galas but there are so many wonderful gems that are suitable for use in jewellery so let me explain.

Gemstone Engagement Rings

For your engagement ring, it is possible to use a precious gemstone other than diamond, but we recommend using a stone that is 7.5 or higher on the Mohs hardness scale. Anything below is too soft and very susceptible to scratching and fracture.

Great gemstones to be used in an engagement ring include Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Morganite, Aquamarine, Tourmaline and Spinel. A lot of these gems are found in a variety of colours so you have many options to choose from.

A great reason to use a precious gemstone in an engagement ring is the meanings attached to them, such as passion for Ruby and loyalty in Sapphire. And I would almost always use diamonds to compliment the gemstone whether they are white or coloured.

Gemstone Wedding Rings

To be honest, I would stick to mainly diamond in your wedding ring unless you wanted to use Sapphire or Ruby as I find wedding rings go through a lot more than an engagement ring, meaning there’s more chance of them chipping. Also, some semi-precious gemstones just don’t have the same sparkle and can get lost in a wedding ring. I would choose gemstones that complement the colours in your engagement ring and diamonds are always a great bet.

Other Gemstone Jewellery

Of course, most gemstones you see available are suitable to be worn in any piece of jewellery like a pearl dress ring or a sapphire bangle as these pieces of jewellery aren’t likely to be worn all the time.

As with any piece of jewellery much care should be taken with precious gemstones and you should speak to your jeweller about how to care for your specific stone.

I believe we were gifted these beautiful gems through nature to be worn and show off our personalities and the love we have for life and one another so be brave and wear coloured gemstones.

If you can’t decide which gem you would like to wear in your jewellery then we’re more than happy to help. Contact us and Roseanna will be in touch to arrange an informal chat.