roxta
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2019
- Messages
- 188
Hello everyone! My first post after lurking for some time 
I'm on the lookout for a light pink stone for a cocktail ring (definitely not everyday wear) and I'm trying to decide between garnet (like the Malaia/Malaya ones), tourmaline or spinel. I'm comparing the hardness and refractive indexes of each. Hardness: Spinel > Tourmaline > Garnet. RI: Garnet > Spinel > Tourmaline. Garnet and tourmaline suit my budget better than spinel.
Sparkle is important to me so I'm leaning towards garnet because it has the highest RI, but I worry that it might be too soft for a ring, even an occasional one. I'm wondering, if I have a tourmaline and garnet, given all other factors are the same (say, the same asscher cut, size, color, etc) - is there really a significant noticeable difference in sparkle between the two?
I would really appreciate your advice - thank you!

I'm on the lookout for a light pink stone for a cocktail ring (definitely not everyday wear) and I'm trying to decide between garnet (like the Malaia/Malaya ones), tourmaline or spinel. I'm comparing the hardness and refractive indexes of each. Hardness: Spinel > Tourmaline > Garnet. RI: Garnet > Spinel > Tourmaline. Garnet and tourmaline suit my budget better than spinel.
Sparkle is important to me so I'm leaning towards garnet because it has the highest RI, but I worry that it might be too soft for a ring, even an occasional one. I'm wondering, if I have a tourmaline and garnet, given all other factors are the same (say, the same asscher cut, size, color, etc) - is there really a significant noticeable difference in sparkle between the two?
I would really appreciate your advice - thank you!