Eight stones
What she sets, and what it will do
Every stone below states its hardness and the thing that will ruin it. That second fact is the one nobody selling you jewellery volunteers, and it is the one that decides whether you still like the piece in ten years.
Organic — nacre over a shell bead or a mantle graft
Freshwater pearl
The softest thing I set, and the one the studio is named after.
- Mohs
- 2.5 – 4
- Cost
- £1 – £12 a pearl
- Every day
- With care
Quartz
Amethyst
Hard enough for a ring, cheap enough to be generous with the size.
- Mohs
- 7
- Cost
- £8 – £45 for a 6–8mm cut stone
- Every day
- Yes
Feldspar
Moonstone
The blue is a trick of the light, not a colour — buy it in person if you can.
- Mohs
- 6 – 6.5
- Cost
- £12 – £60 for a good 8mm cabochon
- Every day
- With care
Garnet group — usually almandine or rhodolite
Garnet
Genuinely hard-wearing, and darker in silver than people expect.
- Mohs
- 7 – 7.5
- Cost
- £6 – £40 for a 6mm cut stone
- Every day
- Yes
Beryl — the same species as emerald
Aquamarine
The hardest stone I set as a matter of course, and it shows.
- Mohs
- 7.5 – 8
- Cost
- £45 – £220 for a 7mm cut stone
- Every day
- Yes
Feldspar
Labradorite
Cheap, spectacular, and softer than it looks. Best in earrings and pendants.
- Mohs
- 6 – 6.5
- Cost
- £8 – £35 for a 10mm cabochon
- Every day
- With care
Hydrated silica — not a crystal at all
Opal
The one I will make for you while telling you not to wear it daily.
- Mohs
- 5.5 – 6.5
- Cost
- £20 – £300
- Every day
- No
Corundum
Sapphire
What I set when someone wants an engagement ring that is not a diamond.
- Mohs
- 9
- Cost
- £120 – £900+ for a 5mm cut stone
- Every day
- Yes
Why she orients a stone before making the setting
A labradorite only flashes from one angle
Turn it fifteen degrees and it is a grey pebble. She finds the angle under a lamp first, then builds the bezel around it — which is why a cabochon cannot simply be dropped into a setting bought off a shelf.
Side by side
Hardness, cost and whether it survives a Tuesday
Mohs is a scratch scale, not a toughness scale — a sapphire at 9 will still crack if you hit it hard enough. Read it as “what will mark the surface”.
| Stone | Mohs | Typical cost | Every day? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater pearl | 2.5 – 4 | £1 – £12 a pearl, depending on size and how round | With careFine in a ring for good days; happier in earrings or a pendant. |
| Amethyst | 7 | £8 – £45 for a 6–8mm cut stone | YesHard enough for a ring worn every day. |
| Moonstone | 6 – 6.5 | £12 – £60 for a good 8mm cabochon | With careFine in a ring for good days; happier in earrings or a pendant. |
| Garnet | 7 – 7.5 | £6 – £40 for a 6mm cut stone | YesHard enough for a ring worn every day. |
| Aquamarine | 7.5 – 8 | £45 – £220 for a 7mm cut stone | YesHard enough for a ring worn every day. |
| Labradorite | 6 – 6.5 | £8 – £35 for a 10mm cabochon | With careFine in a ring for good days; happier in earrings or a pendant. |
| Opal | 5.5 – 6.5 | £20 – £300, and the spread is enormous | NoShe will make it. She will also tell you not to wear it daily. |
| Sapphire | 9 | £120 – £900+ for a 5mm cut stone | YesHard enough for a ring worn every day. |
Bringing your own stone
Perfectly welcome, and it is a flat £40 to check, clean and set a stone you supply. She will look at it under a loupe first and tell you if it is chipped, because a chipped stone can break during setting and that conversation is much better had beforehand.