Gemstone Information
Beautiful gemstones take the center stage in most of my designs. They come in a wide range of colors and shapes to suite your taste.
If you are choosing a gemstone for your engagement ring, keep in mind that many colored gemstones don't have the durability to stand up to the daily wear and tear of engagement rings, without sustaining significant wear and damage over a long period of time. Sapphires and rubies are excellent choices when it comes to colored gemstones for engagement and wedding rings. But even those may show signs of abrasion after many years of daily wear. Alexandrites (lab created or naturals) are also a good option with just being slightly softer than sapphires. Softer gemstones like aquamarines, garnets, emeralds and topaz will abrade more quickly. Moissanites are a great sustainable alternative to the far more expensive classical diamond in an engagement ring, but still not as hard as a diamond. Diamonds are by far still the hardest material and will not get scratched or abraded over time.
Besides a gemstone's hardness, as measured on a Moh's scale, the toughness rating should also be considered when choosing the right gemstone for a ring. Hardness relates to scratch resistance, a materials ability to stand up to abrasion. Toughness is a measure of the ability of a mineral to absorb energy, and it measures of how likely a material is to chip or break.
Even though diamond is the hardest mineral, it can chip and fracture in normal day to day wear and tear if accidentally hit in the right spot. Included diamonds are more prone to chipping than those with a great clarity. Sapphires, Rubies and Alexandrites have an excellent toughness in addition to being very hard. Diamonds and moissanites rate as good to excellent on the toughness scale. Topaz and also Emeralds, while being quite hard, only have a poor toughness and can easily be chipped or cracked if they get accidentally hit just in the right spot.
For gemstones that do not have a good to excellent toughness, I would recommend considering a full bezel setting that protects the gemstones fragile girdle way better than a more exposed semi-bezel or prong setting.
You can find a list of the most common gemstones and their hardness and toughness rating on my jewelry care page.
If you are looking for a white gemstone for your ring, see this blog post to learn how white sapphires, moissanites and diamonds compare to each other.
Spinels rings in a beautiful color array.
The gemstones I most often use are (click on the links to get more specific information about each one):
Spinel
Topaz
Tourmaline
Tanzanite
Citrine
Amethyst
Zircon
Let customers speak for us
I will never buy from another jewler, the quality and commitment to excellence cannot be beat!
Love these tiny studs. The emeralds are really bright!
Love these earrings. They were exactly what I wanted, they have resolved thirty years of issues and they are perfect. Wonderful quality and a wonderful jeweller. So happy!
Love this ring! It’s well made, exactly what I was hoping for!!
Could not be happier with the two rings we received from Nordefrom, the service was equally exquisite, would not hesitate to buy another's.. ox
This was the most special thing I have done in a very long time. The process was so easy and covered every base. The ring turned out absolutely perfect. My son and his girlfriend got engaged last weekend and sh could not have been more thrilled.
I absolutely love my custom ring from Nodeform. Konstanze was communicative and helpful throughout the process, and created a stunning piece of art. I was thrilled with how quickly my order was produced and shipped! The bezel setting was very important for me as someone who works hands-on with people, and I feel comfortable wearing my engagement ring everyday without fear of damaging it or prongs snagging/loosening.
The rings Konstanze made for me are beautiful and go together wonderfully even though they were made separately. I was nervous about purchasing jewelry online, but Konstanze made the process easy, made excellent suggestions, and kept me informed throughout. Thank you so much, the rings are perfect!
When I opened the box, the ring was more beautiful than I imagined. It highlights my sapphire engagement ring and provides a band of beautiful, bright sparkle. I absolutely love this ring!!! My husband, who is not a fan of jewelry, really likes the unique design of the two rings.
Konstanze was wonderful to work with – patiently answering my questions and doing everything she could to ensure we got the rings I wanted! I am a repeat customer and will be back again. Thank you Konstanze!!
This was my third purchase from Nodeform. The earrings were beautiful, and my wife loves the jewelry. Everything is identical to how pictured. Excellent response time to inquiries and shipping is fast once purchased.
