INTRINSIC CHARACTERISTICS

Which is more important in a gem-color, clarity, or hardness? :a may disagree, both with reason and for their own reasons, we hardness of a gem should be given more importance than it v is for very practical reasons. In making other expensive purchases, like furs or a car, you want to know how the fur or the car “will near" and what care it needs to prolong its life. You are entitled r same information about gems-and that is where hardness comes in.

Gems, even diamonds, may not always be "forever," despite advertising says. You can spoil or even ruin any gem by not knowing its limitations. That is where hardness is important. "Hard as stone" is a handy phrase, but not all stones are hard as stone, much less hard as a diamond. Hardness is relative, with some stones being harder than others. What hardness means to you personally is that it determines the care you should take with gems-in wearing them, in storing them, and in cleaning them.

JEWELRY
HARDNESS

Hardness can be defined in terms of how easily one gem scratches another kind of gem and how easily other gems scratch it. It is the index of a gem's resistance to scratching and abrasion, therefore. This means that the harder the stone, the less easily it will be scratched and the longer it will retain its original beauty and luster. By the same token, the softer the stone, the more easily it will become scratched, with the abrasions detracting from its original beauty and luster.