Hardness in jewelry terms (and gemology) means the ability of a subject to withstand abbrassion by another subject. The most widely used scale of hardness (in gemology)
is Moh's scale of relative hardness. This scale goes from 1 to 10 with gypsum at place 1 and diamond at place 10. A material - or gemstone - that is lower on the
scale can not leave a scratch on a material that is higher on Moh's scale. Quartz (at place 7) is a critical point as dust in air has many minute silica particles in it
and may scratch gemstones and other materials below place 7 on the hardness scale. Sand also consist in part of quartz and this may cause your jewelry to be damaged
during gardening.
| Mohs scale of relative hardness
|
| 1. | Talc
|
| 2 | Gypsum
|
| 3. | Calcite
|
| 4. | Fluorspar
|
| 5. | Apatite
|
| 6. | Orthoclase feldspar
|
| 7. | Quartz
|
| 8. | Topaz
|
| 9. | Corundum
|
| 10. | Diamond
|
|
