What is it about a gemstone? Is it the alluring shimmer or the enigmatic quality of its colouration and clarity? Does the rarity of a precious stone call to us or the association with luxury? Perhaps at the heart of it is our appreciation of beauty. After all, our ancient ancestors made and wore jewellery long before they learned to speak – appreciating the beauty of the shells and stones they used to craft them.
Here, you’ll learn about the different types of gemstones for rings, helping you find the perfect centrepiece or embellishment for jewellery that reflects your idea of beauty.
Archaeological finds suggest that around 12,000 years ago, Neolithic man was mining gemstones. Lapis lazuli to be precise. This attractive blue stone can be seen in extravagant ancient Egyptian jewellery crafted over 6,000 years ago. Egyptian rings were worn not only as a status symbol but as a protective amulet.
Over 3,000 years ago, the ancient Greeks and Romans also incorporated gemstones into their rings, including sapphire, garnets, and pearls. The Greeks believed these stones held special properties, from healing powers to the ability to ward off drunkenness (amethyst comes from the Greek amethystos, meaning sober). The Romans made ostentatious jewellery, with men often adorning all ten fingers with bejewelled rings.
The use of gemstone rings as a symbol of wealth and as a form of protection continued through the Middle Ages. By the Renaissance, gemstone rings became more elaborate, and diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds were the stones of choice. Victorian rings were steeped in sentimentality, with designs influenced heavily by Queen Victoria herself.
It’s only in recent history that gemstone rings have lost their deeper meaning and become purely decorative. The 20th century saw a boom in the popularity of diamond rings, with clever marketing campaigns pushing forward the idea of proposing with a diamond ring. Today, diamond rings remain popular, but as individuality has become more celebrated than ever, different types of gemstones are making their way into ring designs. Coming full circle, gemstone rings are increasingly being chosen based on sentimental preferences such as birthstones and symbolism.
Engagement rings nearly always include a gemstone. Since the 15th century, diamonds have been a popular choice for the centre stone but now, many are turning to other gemstones, enjoying the freedom of colour choices and benefiting from the lower price tag.
Some wedding bands include gemstones, usually chosen to match the stones present on the engagement ring. Likewise, eternity rings are commonly embellished with gemstones.
Birthstone rings are growing in popularity and allow you to wear the gem associated with your birth or the birth of your children for a ring full of sentiment and symbolism.
Contemporary fashion and fine jewellery rings continue to highlight the natural beauty of gemstones, and the desire for vintage gemstone rings grows from strength to strength. In response to consumer demands, jewellers have created a diverse range of colours, cuts, and styles across the gemstone ring sector, ensuring there is something for everyone. From the feminine blush hues of morganite to the striking black onyx, the different types of gemstones for rings enable self-expression.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a ring, explore this treasure chest of 15 glittering gemstones to find the perfect match for you or the intended recipient. You’ll learn the Mohs scale rating for each gemstone, which refers to the hardness of the stone (with a rating of 10 being the hardest).
Pros: Colourless diamonds offer a desirable icy appearance and unparalleled sparkle. For a more contemporary look, turn to black, grey, or champagne diamonds. Take inspiration from glamorous vintage pieces with a yellow or pink diamond.
Sitting at an impressive ten on the Mohs scale (making them the hardest mineral on the planet), one of the pros of a diamond in a ring is its unbeatable durability. It’s one of the most common types of gemstones for engagement rings.
Cons: Natural diamonds are among the most expensive gemstones.
Setting ideas: Prong and solitaire settings are enduringly popular for diamonds, with halo and pavé settings helping you amp up the shimmer.
Pros: If you want to make a bold statement, you won’t get much more daring than a vivid red ruby. They’re viewed as a luxury stone, adding prestige to your ring.
Rubies are a nine on the Mohs scale, making them a durable stone for a ring you plan to wear daily.
Cons: The rare ruby fetches a hefty price tag – not far behind diamonds.
Setting ideas: A simple prong setting will allow the light to highlight a ruby’s depth of colour.
Pros: Favoured by Cleopatra, an emerald offers high-impact colour and a timeless and regal aesthetic that works well in both vintage-inspired and striking contemporary rings.
Cons: Emeralds tend to have more inclusions than other gemstones, making high-clarity stones rarer and, therefore, more expensive. They sit between 7.5 and 8 on the Mohs scale, are less durable than diamonds and rubies, and require hand cleaning. They’re known to be one of the most beautiful types of stones for rings.
Setting ideas: Like diamonds, a solitaire setting showcases an emerald in all its glory.
Pros: Sapphires come in a range of rich colours, most famously, a deep blue, which works beautifully in an engagement ring. Sapphires make a cost-effective alternative to colourless and coloured diamonds.
They’re ideal for daily wear at a nine on the Mohs scale.
Cons: Sapphires have less brilliance than diamonds, so you won’t get quite as much sparkle.
Setting ideas: Prong settings celebrate a sapphire’s hue, and if you want more sparkle, use a halo setting with diamonds or moissanite.
Pros: A mermaid’s dream, the ocean tones of this gemstone are captivating, yet the price tag is far lower than many precious stones. If you’d like a large centre stone on a budget, aquamarine may be top of your list.
Cons: At 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale, this stone is durable but requires a little more care and attention than the harder gems.
Setting ideas: Choose a simple solitaire setting or pair it with a halo of clear stones to boost the appearance of less saturated aquamarines.
Pros: Opals are utterly unique, shimmering with a rainbow of colours. With no two opals alike, you can embrace individuality with an opal ring.
Cons: These are softer gemstones, 5.5-6.5 on the Mohs scale, meaning they’re prone to scratching and will need to be carefully taken care of.
Setting ideas: A bezel or channel setting will protect your opal, creating a boundary around its edges.
Pros: The ethereal pearl offers style versatility. Use the refined beauty of a milky peal in a vintage-inspired ring, while a darker pearl can create drama in contemporary rings.
Cons: Pearls are incredibly soft and prone to cracking and damage, at just 2.5-4.5 on the Mohs scale. There are different types of gemstones for rings that better suited to daily wear.
Setting ideas: Any setting that raises a pearl high above the band leaves it prone to damage. Consider cluster or bezel-style settings to protect the pearl.
Pros: Moissanites are a well-known, cheaper diamond alternative with plenty of sparkling brilliance and various colours.
At 9.5 on the Mohs scale, these stones offer the desirable combination of beauty and durability.
Cons: Though they look very much like diamonds, you’ll know that they aren’t, which may make the likes of an engagement ring feel a little less luxurious. It’s one of the best types of gemstones for rings if you’re looking for an affordable piece of jewellery.
Setting ideas: A prong setting lets the facets of your moissanite shine. These stones are also ideal in halo and pavé settings.
Pros: Tourmaline offers a range of saturated shades, each with an enigmatic ambience that suits both vintage-style rings and modern designs. Its superb colour intensity means you don’t have to spend too much.
Cons: You’ll need to take care of a tourmaline if you plan to wear it daily because it is 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale.
Setting ideas: If you’re careful with your daily-wear rings, a prong setting will let the light accentuate the wonderful colours of a tourmaline. Consider a bezel setting if you want to offer the gemstone a little more protection.
Pros: Whatever your favourite colour, there’s a topaz to suit, from intense reds and sky blue to dusky pinks and peaches. Topaz is a highly affordable option if you’re looking for a ring that suits your distinctive style.
An eight on the Mohs scale, you can wear a topaz daily.
Cons: Though durable, a knock in the right place can cause them to crack completely across a plane.
Setting ideas: To protect against this cracking issue, consider a bezel setting if you’ll wear your topaz ring daily.
Pros: From a deep royal purple to a feminine soft lilac, amethyst offers a wonderfully distinctive shade for your ring at a very reasonable price point.
Cons: They are a seven on the Mohs scale, so beware of knocks and scratches. Because of their lower price point, you may struggle to find amethysts in higher-end jewellery.
Setting ideas: A bezel setting protects your amethyst, but it looks stunning in a prong setting or surrounded by a halo of moissanite or diamonds.
Pros: Garnets are one of the best types of gemstones for rings with an antique aesthetic. They come in red, pink, green, and honey tones, each with a slight earthiness that makes them ideal for ornate, whimsical, and vintage-inspired rings.
Cons: At 6.5-7.5 on the Mohs scale, you must be careful if your garnet ring will be worn daily. Garnets don’t offer the jewel tones of a ruby or emerald, so they aren’t quite right if you’re looking for a crisp, clear colouration.
Setting ideas: A bezel setting will protect the garnet, but if you want the garnet’s uniqueness to shine, raise it up in a prong or solitaire setting.
Pros: Labradorite rings are soaring in popularity and are becoming a must-have item. Enchantingly iridescent and sporting earthy and oceanic tones, labradorite rings are exceptionally versatile when it comes to styling, and the stones are surprisingly inexpensive.
Cons: At 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale, this type of ring gemstone is easier to damage than many of the others discussed.
Setting ideas: A bezel setting is best suited.
Pros: Thanks to their soft tones, morganites suit the romance of an engagement ring. These highly covetable shades come at a refreshingly low price point—up to ten times cheaper than diamonds.
Cons: Morganite isn’t as hard as the top stones for engagement rings, at 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale.
Setting ideas: Morganites look incredible with a diamond or moissanite halo.
Pros: Few stones make quite such a statement as a highly polished black onyx. Paired with black gold or white metal, you can enjoy an edgy contemporary ring that feels quite unlike the other gemstone rings discussed.
Cons: If you’re looking for a cut gemstone, onyx may not be right for you, as they tend to be polished into a cabochon-style stone for rings. At 6-7 on the Mohs scale, they’re soft and not best suited to daily wear unless well protected.
Setting ideas: A bezel setting is wise for this soft stone, but also consider a halo of diamonds or moissanite for monochrome contrast.
Interested to know how this collection falls from most expensive to least? This list is based on cost per carat and doesn’t include rare examples of the stone.
How do you know which types of stones are the right glittering ally for your ring collection? You’ll need to consider your style preferences, the purpose of the ring, and your budget.
If you’re driven by gemstone quality, you can focus on the 4Cs when choosing your stone: cut, colour, clarity, and carat. If you don’t mind an imperfection or a cheaper stone, spend time learning about its visual character.
Once you’ve chosen your gemstone ring, give it the protection it deserves, whether it holds high monetary or sentimental value. TH March has been tailoring jewellery policies for over 130 years, so your ring couldn’t be in safer hands. Give our experts a call today to learn about our bespoke service and comprehensive coverage.