Hardness is one measure of the strength of the structure of the mineral relative to the strength of its chemical bonds. It is not the same as brittleness, which is another measure of strength, that is purely related to the structure of the mineral. Minerals with small atoms, packed tightly together with strong covalent bonds throughout tend to be the hardest minerals. The softest minerals have metallic bonds or even weaker van der Waals bonds as important components of their structure. Hardness is generally consistent because the chemistry of minerals is generally consistent.

Hardness can be tested through scratching. A scratch on a mineral is actually a groove produced by microfractures on the surface of the mineral. It requires either the breaking of bonds or the displacement of atoms (as in the metallic bonded minerals). A mineral can only be scratched by a harder substance. A hard mineral can scratch a softer mineral, but a soft mineral can not scratch a harder mineral (no matter how hard you try). Therefore, a relative scale can be established to account for the differences in hardness simply by seeing which mineral scratches another. That is exactly what French mineralogist Friedrich Mohs proposed almost one hundred and seventy years ago. The Mohs Hardness Scale starting with talc at 1 and ending with diamond at 10, is universally used around the world as a way of distinguishing minerals. Simply put; the higher the number, the harder the mineral.

Below is the Mohs Hardness Scale:

1. Talc
2. Gypsum
3. Calcite
4. Fluorite
5. Apatite
6. Orthoclase
7. Quartz
8. Topaz
9. Corundum (ruby and sapphire)
10. Diamond

One word of caution for inexperienced collectors: do not SCRATCH NICE CRYSTAL FACES! A fractured, cleaved or inconspicuous part of the mineral should still give a good hardness test and not damage a potentially wonderful specimen.

What if you do not have the minerals listed in the Mohs Hardness Scale? Well, a collector might keep a few items of known hardness in a "hardness kit"; just in case they are needed.

Below is a revised Mohs Hardness Scale with some everyday items listed:

1. Talc
2. Gypsum
   --fingernail at 2.5
3. Calcite
   --copper (old penny) at 3.5
4. Fluorite
5. Apatite
   --window glass or typical knife blade at under 5.5
6. Orthoclase
   --streak plate or good steel file at over 6.5
7. Quartz
8. Topaz
9. Corundum
10. Diamond

Below is an absolute hardness scale:

• 1 Talc
• 3 Gypsum
• 9 Calcite
• 21 Fluorite
• 48 Apatite
• 72 Orthoclase
• 100 Quartz
• 200 Topaz
• 400 Corundum
• 1600 Diamond

  The simpler, relative Mohs hardness scale is much easier to remember and use.

Hardness is particularly important for gemstones. Very few soft minerals are cut as gems and when they are, they generally are cut only for collectors and not for wearable jewelry. Apatite is one of the softest of gemstones. Mostly gemstones have a hardness of 7 or more. Hardness also plays a major apart in the minerals that are used for grinding, polishing and other abrasive purposes. Soft minerals can be used as high temperature lubricants, pencil lead, talcum powder, paper gloss, etc.

Here are a few hints on how to use hardness to identify minerals:

• Keep in mind that most minerals have small differences in hardness according to the direction of the scratch and the orientation of the scratch and that some minerals such as kyanite and diamond, have a marked difference in hardness with respect to these factors.
• A massive specimen will probably be softer than a single crystal and ideally hardness should only be used on individual crystals.
• Some minerals will have a range of hardness due mostly to impurities or substitution of certain ions.
• Don't be fooled by a dust trail on a mineral after being "scratched" by a softer mineral. It may look as if the softer mineral scratched the harder mineral but in actuality the softer mineral just left a dust trail across the resistant surface of the harder mineral (always blow air over the scratch or rub across the scratch to be sure it's a scratch).
• Another clue to relative hardness is ease of scratching (both diamond and quartz scratch glass, but diamond scratches glass ". . . like a knife through butter").
• To remember the Mohs scale try remembering this phrase: The Geologist Can Find An Ordinary Quartz, (that) Tourists Call Diamond!