When shopping for diamonds and gemstones, it’s not only important to shop for gemstones that are attractive to you and have great color, but you should also know how a gemstone can withstand the test of time if you are an active person–especially if you work a great deal with your hands.

Each gemstone has it’s own “specific gravity” or weight and hardness compare to others. This has been documented using various testing techniques and is on a chart or  scale that was created many years by Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, who developed the scale in 1812–it’s called the “Mohs Scale of Hardness”.   He selected ten minerals of distinctly different hardness that ranged from a very soft mineral (talc) to a very hard mineral (diamond). With the exception of diamond, the minerals are all relatively common and easy or inexpensive to obtain.

I have published the Mohs Scale of Hardness here for you to use in selecting the gemstone(s) that are right for your lifestyle.  Enjoy shopping with me for Sevilla Silver on HSN and  the Best of Gems, The Diamond Show,  Colours of Diamonds only on TSC.