Precious and semi-precious gemstone species, commonly used in jewellery, vary greatly in their intrinsic 'hardness'. Almost all will suffer scratches and chips in contact with most metals and all can be damaged by extremes of temperature and pressure. Looking After Gemstone Jewellery Caring For Your Whitewolf Gemstone Jewellery.

As there are large differences in 'hardness' and therefore resilience to scratches, knocks, bumps and bangs, between each gemstone species,. The old 'glass test',beloved of thriller writers, by which one tests the quality/authenticity of diamond jewellery, by attempting to scratch other hard surfaces, is not recommended. However, with the possible exception of diamond, all gemstones are susceptible to damage. In fact, it's even a fallacy to say that diamond cannot be damaged -diamonds will shatter in some circumstances. In general, most gemstones have come to be favoured for adornment not only as a result of their inherent visual attractiveness, but also because they belong to a particular species, which is hard enough to withstand the vigour's of daily wear.

A few semi-precious gemstones are extremely soft and can be damaged by a fingernail.