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| Mohs Hardness | Absolute Hardness |
Mineral or Substance |
Other Materials |
| 1 | 1 | Talc | Sulfur |
| 2 | 2 | Gypsum | Human Skin Human Fingernail (2.5) Gold, Silver (2.5-3) |
| 3 | 9 | Calcite | Calcium Sand (Florida) Pearl Coral Malachite Copper Penny (3.5) |
| 4 | 21 | Flourite | Platinum (4-4.5) |
| 5 | 48 | Apatite | Iron Lapis Lazuli Turquoise Opal Knife Blade (5.5) |
| 6 | 72 | Orthoclase Feldspar |
Moonstone (6-6.5) Tanzanite (6.5-7) Peridot (6.5-7) Window Glass (6.5-7) Steel File (6.5) Zircon (6.5-7.5) |
| 7 | 100 | Quartz | Most Sand Citrine Amethyst Tourmaline (7-7.5) Garnet (7-7.5) Hardened Steel (7-8) Emerald (7.5-8) Aquamarine (7.5-8) |
| 8 | 200 | Topaz |
Topaz Alexandrite (8.5) Cubic Zirconia (8.5-9) |
| 9 | 400 | Corundum | Ruby Sapphire |
| 10 | 1500 | Diamond | Diamond |
It is worthwhile to note that on the absolute hardness scale that a diamond is 15 times harder than quartz and about 4 times harder than the next hardest gemstones, ruby and sapphire. This hardness is the reason that the diamond has so many industrial applications beyond its application in making jewelry. It is also worthwhile noting that gold and silver are so very soft, which is one reason why they are combined with other materials like copper to make alloys which are harder. Absolute hardness is measured by a sclerometer. These numbers were obtained from the Wikipedia article on hardness and other public sources. |
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| This is part of the WigJig University Encyclopedia. We try to information of value on the topic of jewelry making with wire, beads and jewelry supplies and information on related topics including using wire and beads in household decorations. For free jewelry making designs we suggest that viewers visit our College of Jewelry Making Designs. For household decorations made with wire, beads and other jewelry supplies, we suggest that viewers visit our College of Home Decor, Clothing and Hair Accessories. For holiday designs made with wire beads and jewelry supplies, we suggest that viewers visit our College of Holiday Designs. For information on jewelry making techniques, we suggest that viewers visit our College of Jewelry Making and Wire Techniques. |