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Mohs Scale of Hardness
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Mohs Scale of Hardness
What is the Mohs scale?

German mineralogist, Friedrich Mohs created a scale of mineral
hardness that is still used as a standard to measure the
hardness of gemstones and other minerals.  His scale is based
the scratch resistance of ten minerals that are readily available
and gives the hardness on a scale of 1 to 10 where diamonds
are the hardest material and therefore score a 10.

The hardness of a material is measured on the scale by finding
the hardest material the given material can scratch.  For example,
since a ruby can be scratched by a diamond (a Mohs 10), but
cannot be scratched by a yellow topaz (a Mohs 8), it's Mohs
hardness falls between a 10 and an 8, making the hardness of a
ruby around a 9.

The Mohs scale is depicted to the right.  While the scale is very
useful, it cannot be used as a scale of absolute hardness (that
measured by a sclerometer).  
Mineral
Scale
Talc
1
Gypsum
2
Calcite
3
Fluorite
4
Apatite
5
Orthoclase
6
Quartz
7
Topaz
8
Corundum
(ruby and sapphire)
9
Diamond
10
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