Letter H - Hardness of Gemstones and Minerals

There is a Moh's hardness scale that gives those who work with gemstones and minerals much needed information.  The mineralogist Fredrich Mohs (1773-1839) defined scratch hardness.  As a buyer or collector of gemstone jewelry, this is information we need to know.  Gemstones on the lower end 1 -2 are known as soft,  the stones that are 3-5 are medium hard and the 6-10 are considered hard.

Here are some really great websites that have a lot of information on the hardness of gemstones and minerals.


http://geology.com/minerals/mohs-hardness-scale.shtml


http://www.minerals.net/resource/property/Hardness.aspx


http://chemistry.about.com/od/geochemistry/a/mohsscale.htm


Agate is a 7 on the Moh's hardness scale.  I hear cutting and faceting Agate requires certain lapidary equipment.  However, this hardness gives the gemstone its ability to have a beautiful polish and an added sparkle to it.