13 Alternative Gemstones for Every Day Wear

13 Alternative Gemstones for Every Day Wear

These 13 stones are unique gems that are strong enough to stand up to the stress of everyday wear and tear. 

If you’re looking for a special stone to add to your collection that isn’t cliche or typical, check out some of these alternative gemstones that can stand up to everyday wear.

• Topaz - 8 on the MOHS hardness Scale

This alternative gemstone has many options when it comes to colors.  It comes in colorless, pink, yellow, orange, red, blue, and green, and is one of the more durable stones, just two levels below a diamond.  Topaz is quite common and therefore it is affordable.  Most topaz is Heat Treated, which produces vibrant colors so the variety is endless.  

• Spinel - 8 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Spinel comes in many colors and is very durable.  Its red color, however, rivals a ruby, but it’s less expensive. Most spinel is red, but it also comes in pink, colorless, blue, purple, green, brown, and black. 

Close Stock photos by Vecteezy

• Zircon - 7 ½ on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Zircon is a great alternative gemstone that's not as well known, and comes in brown, red, yellow, green, blue, black, and colorless. Zircon has a high refractive index, making it a very suitable diamond substitute. It’s common, which makes it fairly inexpensive. 

close-up-view-of-a-zircon-cluster-embedded-in-volcanic-rock Stock photos by Vecteezy

• Tourmaline - 7 ½  on the MOHS Harness Scale

W.carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tourmaline is a great alternative gemstone.  The family of Tourmaline consists of many different colors, and most colors have a different name. They are all durable.   

Rubellite is red tourmaline, and was often confused with ruby, hence the name. It ranges from light pink to deep red.  

Indicolite tourmaline is blue.  It’s pleochroic, which means that you might be able to see different colors when looking at it from different angles.  

Dravite tourmaline is light to dark brown and sometimes dark green.  It is commonly referred to as “petrol” tourmaline because it is brown like gasoline. 

Achroite is a rare colorless tourmaline that is not typically cut for jewelry. 

Watermelon tourmaline is a bicolor stone that is pink and green. It is the most sought after, and therefore the most expensive. 

Schorl is black tourmaline. It is not typically cut for jewelry. It usually makes an appearance as a raw stone because its crystal pattern is so interesting.  

Pariba tourmaline is a darker blue tourmaline that is sometimes described as electric or neon.  It is called Pariba tourmaline because it was first found in Pariba, Brazil.  

Tourmaline also comes in light green and yellow. Chrome tourmaline is an intense bright green, colored by vanadium. 

Tourmaline Bracelet

• Iolite - 7 - 7 ½  on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Parent Géry, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Iolite is a dark blue to violet colored stone.  It is pleochroic, meaning that when viewed from different angles, the colors change. Iolite comes from the Greek word, ios which means violet. 

This alternative gemstone also has a very unique history.  The Vikings used Iolite to navigate and track the position of the sun, because it can act as a polarizing filter to reduce the glare from the sun.

• Green Garnet - 7 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

green-gemstone-close-up Stock photos by Vecteezy

There are three types of green garnet: Demantoid, Uvarovite, and Tsavorite. 

Uvaroivite is extremely rare, and when it is found, only small crystals are suitable for cutting. 

What makes Demantoid, a type of Andradite, special is that it has the highest dispersion of light of all the garnets, and it outshines diamonds. 

Tsavorite is rare, which makes it more expensive.  It can be anywhere from light green to deep green, to a bluish green.  Its rich color comes from traces of the elements chromium and vanadium. 

• Chatoyant Chrysoberyl - 8 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chatoyant Chrysoberyls get their chatoyance, or cat’s eye effect, from tiny inclusions of rutile.  When cut properly, in a cabochon, the light reflecting off the tiny inclusions creates a shining arc across the stone, which resembles a cat’s pupil. 

• Padparadscha  8 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Wiener Edelstein Zentrum, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Padparadscha is a gorgeous pink and orange sapphire that has recently gained popularity.  It is named for the lotus blossom found in Sri Lanka. It has the durability of a sapphire with a striking color. 

Padparadscha Necklace

• Morganite - 7 ½ on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Morganite is part of the Beryl family, and has a light pink or pale pink rose color. In the past, marketers tried to create popularity by calling it a “pink emerald.”  However, that name didn't catch on.  It has since held its own as a part of th Beryl family. 

• Fire Agate - 7 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fire agate is an iridescent stone that belongs to the chalcedony family. The iridescent colors are caused by microscopically thin layers of silica and iron oxide in quartz.  When light enters the layers, it then creates a rainbow effect called iridescence. 

• Aventurine quartz - 7 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Hanno Lans, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Aventurine quartz is a semi-translucent quartz that has inclusions of fuchsite, mica, and iron oxide.  When these inclusions are facing the right way, Aventurine sparkles in the light like glitter.  Mica specifically creates a beautiful shimmer. 

• Prasiolite - 7 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Michelle Jo, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Prasiolite is a light green translucent quartz.  It is sometimes referred to as Green Amethyst. It is certainly striking in a pendant. 

• Chalcedony Quartz - 7 on the MOHS Hardness Scale

Kevin M. Gill, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Most people think of quartz as large crystals. However, there are several varieties of quartz that have a crystal matrix so small they can’t be seen, which makes for a beautiful semi-translucent to opaque stone. 

This type of quartz is called Chalcedony, which can be many colors.  Agate (known for its colorful banding), Onyx (which is black), Sardonyx (which is both orange/burnt orange and white), Carnelian (which is orange), Chrysoprase (which is green), and Jasper.  

Jasper is opaque and comes in a few varieties.  However, some of these varieties have incredible patters such as Impression jasper, picture jasper, ocean jasper, and dalmatian jasper. It also comes in many  solid colors such as red, yellow, and brown. 

These Durable Alternative Gemstones will Keep Your Jewelry Box Fresh

Adding even one of these stones will brighten your collection and give new life to your jewelry box.  These statement pieces will also make you stand out and earn compliments.  Additionally, their durability will keep them in your jewelry box, and rotation, for a long time.