Most Durable Gemstones for Everyday Wear

Hardness on the Mohs scale is the best single guide to how a stone resists scratches. Here are the toughest.

1. Lab-Grown Diamond · Mohs 10 · $400 to $3,000/ct. Chemically identical to a mined diamond but grown in a lab, offering the same brilliance and hardness at a…
2. Diamond · Mohs 10 · $1,000 to $15,000/ct. The hardest natural material and a long-standing symbol of enduring love, strength, and commitment.
3. Black Diamond · Mohs 10 · $200 to $3,000/ct. An opaque black diamond valued for bold modern style and associated with strength, confidence, and protection.
4. Moissanite · Mohs 9.25 · $200 to $800/ct. A lab-created diamond alternative prized for exceptional brilliance and fire at a fraction of diamond cost.…
5. Sapphire · Mohs 9 · $50 to $2,000/ct. Long linked to wisdom, loyalty, and nobility. Blue sapphire is a classic engagement-ring center stone and a…
6. Ruby · Mohs 9 · $100 to $5,000/ct. A symbol of passion, vitality, and protection. Fine ruby is among the most valuable colored gemstones per…
7. Padparadscha Sapphire · Mohs 9 · $500 to $8,000/ct. A rare pink-orange sapphire named for the lotus blossom, prized for its delicate blend of warmth and softness.
8. White Sapphire · Mohs 9 · $40 to $600/ct. A colorless corundum used as a durable diamond alternative, traditionally tied to clarity and wisdom.
9. Alexandrite · Mohs 8.5 · $500 to $10,000/ct. Famous for changing color from green in daylight to red under incandescent light, it is linked to balance…
10. Chrysoberyl · Mohs 8.5 · $50 to $1,000/ct. A very hard golden gem, with cat's eye varieties prized as protective talismans of foresight and good fortune.
11. Cubic Zirconia · Mohs 8.25 · $1 to $30/ct. An inexpensive lab-created diamond simulant valued for its sparkle and wide range of colors. Not the same as…
12. Topaz · Mohs 8 · $10 to $400/ct. Associated with clarity, confidence, and communication. Blue topaz is a popular affordable blue gem.
13. Spinel · Mohs 8 · $50 to $1,500/ct. Long mistaken for ruby in royal jewels, spinel is associated with energy, renewal, and vitality.
14. Imperial Topaz · Mohs 8 · $100 to $1,500/ct. The prized pink to golden-orange variety of topaz, historically linked to royalty, abundance, and warmth.
15. Blue Topaz · Mohs 8 · $10 to $150/ct. A popular affordable blue gem produced from treated topaz, associated with calm, clear communication, and…
16. Taaffeite · Mohs 8 · $1,500 to $8,000/ct. One of the rarest gemstones in the world, first identified from a cut stone rather than in the rough.…
17. Aquamarine · Mohs 7.75 · $30 to $600/ct. Named for seawater and linked to calm, courage, and safe travel, once carried by sailors for protection.
18. Morganite · Mohs 7.75 · $20 to $300/ct. A soft pink beryl associated with compassion, tenderness, and the heart. It has become a popular romantic…
19. Heliodor · Mohs 7.75 · $20 to $250/ct. A sunny golden beryl whose name means gift of the sun, associated with warmth, energy, and optimism.
20. Goshenite · Mohs 7.75 · $10 to $120/ct. The colorless member of the beryl family, traditionally linked to truth, clarity, and honest expression.
21. Goshenite · Mohs 7.75 · $10 to $80/ct. The colorless member of the beryl family, named for Goshen, Massachusetts. In folklore it was valued for…
22. Red Beryl · Mohs 7.75 · $2,000 to $10,000/ct. An extremely rare red member of the beryl family found mainly in Utah. Its scarcity has long made it a…
23. Emerald · Mohs 7.5 · $100 to $4,000/ct. Associated with renewal, growth, and the heart. Its lush green has signaled wealth and status across many…
24. Zircon · Mohs 7.5 · $20 to $250/ct. A natural gem with high brilliance, traditionally worn for wisdom, prosperity, and restful sleep. Not to be…

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