For that reason jewellery with kunzite should never be worn while sunbathing or on the beach. The numbers are based on the relative ease or difficulty with which one mineral can be scratched by another. Kunzite is the best known variety of the mineral spodumene. To the chagrin of the cutters however this gem has perfect cleavage and is thus extremely difficult to cut. Hardness is sometimes taken on the back of a statue as for example to differentiate between jade and serpen tine.
Today most kunzite is mined in brazil afghanistan and madagascar. Check how hard your gemstone is this should probably be done by a professional jeweler as a genuine kunzite gemstone is quite fragile and will chip or break if struck hard. The largest faceted kunzite is an 880 carat specimen on display at the smithsonian institute in washington d c. Friedrich mohs simply gathered 10 gemstones that represent the most common gemstone families gypsum calcite fluorite apatite orthoclase quartz topaz corundum and diamond and set about scratching them against each other until he was able to develop a hierarchy of scratchability the mohs hardness scale. Its hardness is fairly good between 6 5 and 7 on the mohs scale.
Care and cleaning kunzite like any other gemstone can chip and crack easily if hit heavily so be careful when you wear it. Kunzite is often found in association with morganite and pink tourmaline the other popular pink gemstones. Find the traditional scale here and a chart of select gems ordered by hardness. Considered a medium durable gemstone with 6 5 7 on the mohs scale of mineral hardness kunzite can be set in any kind of jewel like ring pendant bracelets and earrings. Courtesy loretta castoro signature collection hardness and toughness gem and mineral hardness is measured on the mohs scale.
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Hardness has little use to the gemologist since gems are not normally scratched as a part of gem testing. California s san diego county is an important source of kunzite. The mohs hardness scale measures a mineral s resistance to scratching. Hardness is the resistance to scratching of a smooth surface. Kunzite gets its delicate color from trace amounts of manganese.It s named after famed gemologist george frederick kunz who was the first to identify it as a unique variety of spodumene. On the mohs hardness scale for gemstones kunzite is between 6 and 7 a diamond in comparison is 10 on the mohs scale. But even using the girdle of a gem to perform a hardness test results in chipping on occasion. Kunzite is rated at about 7 on the mohs hardness scale so it is a fairly durable gemstone and able to withstand the occasional knock or bump but we always recommended removing jewelry before physical activities especially household cleaning sports or gardening. It s named after famed gemologist george frederick kunz who was the first to identify it as a unique variety of spodumene.
Kunzite is rated at about 7 on the mohs hardness scale so it is a fairly durable gemstone and able to withstand the occasional knock or bump but we always recommended removing jewelry before physical activities especially household cleaning sports or gardening. Hardness has little use to the gemologist since gems are not normally scratched as a part of gem testing. Care and cleaning kunzite like any other gemstone can chip and crack easily if hit heavily so be careful when you wear it. Today most kunzite is mined in brazil afghanistan and madagascar. For that reason jewellery with kunzite should never be worn while sunbathing or on the beach.
