Moh's Hardness Scale
Mohs Hardness Scale
Hardness plays a major role in identifying characteristics of a gem; such as how durable and scratch resistant it will be and consequently how durable the gem should be. Hardness is defined by how well a gem will resist scratching by another substance. A scale to measure hardness was devised by Austrian mineralogist Frederick (Friedrich) Mohs in 1822, and is currently the standard scale for measuring hardness. The scale consists of numbers one through ten and is used for all minerals not just gems. 10 is the hardest and 1 is the softest. Each number represents a different mineral - each harder than the previous. The 10 standard minerals are:
10. Diamond
9. Corundum (Sapphire & Ruby)
8. Topaz
7. Quartz (Amethyst & Citrine)
6. Feldspar
5. Apatite
4. Fluorite
3. Calcite
2. Gypsum
1. Talc
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