Today i found a quote online that i thought was interesting:
“To test the hardness, use a Mohs hardness pick. Natural turquoise should measure 5 to 6 on the scale while stabilized turquoise should measure 7 or higher.”
Any thoughts on this?
Sorry, I know what the Mohs hardness scale is, but don’t know anything about the pick. Since the scale relates to the relative hardness of a substance and how easily the surface is etched, I’m assuming the pick is used to etch the surface. From your quote, one would assume the stabilization process results in turquoise that is more resistant to etching, thus higher on the Mohs scale.
That’s my thought, maybe one of our gem experts can explain a bit more.
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@Bluegreen , The Moh’s test is a scratch test using pointed probes of different hardnesses. Basically, a point or pice of material of a specific hardness that does not scratch the stone is softer than the stone and one that scratches the stone is harder.
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After watching this video i assume that that quote is false and that this method wouldn’t work (at all)
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