So, I was playing around with some garnet stones today, trying to figure out their hardness. You know, like a real amateur geologist.
I started by reading up a bit online. Seems like these garnets are rated somewhere between 6.5 and 7.5 on this thing called the Mohs scale. Apparently, it’s a way to tell how hard a mineral is. The higher the number, the harder the stone.
First, I grabbed a piece of glass and tried to scratch it with the garnet. Sure enough, the garnet left a mark on the glass. Cool, huh? Then I tried the same with a piece of steel, and yep, the garnet scratched that too. This was easier than I thought!
- Scratched a piece of glass with the garnet.
- Scratched a piece of steel with the garnet.
- Checked the garnet for any scratches – nothing!
But here’s where it gets interesting. I tried scratching the garnet with the glass and steel, but it didn’t leave a mark on the garnet. So, I guess that means the garnet is harder than both glass and steel. Science in action, people!
From what I read, this means garnets are pretty tough. They can take a beating without getting all scratched up, which is probably why people like to use them in jewelry. I mean, who wants a ring that’s all scuffed up, right?
I also learned that garnets don’t have much cleavage. I don’t really know what that is, but it sounds important. I guess it means they’re less likely to break or something. Good to know.
Anyway, after all this messing around, I feel like I know a bit more about garnets. They’re tough little suckers, that’s for sure. They can scratch glass and steel, but they don’t get scratched themselves easily. Plus, they come in all sorts of colors, which is pretty neat. Red is the most common one, I think.
It seems I did it.
Oh, and one more thing. I saw something about people wearing garnets every day. I guess that’s because they’re so durable. You can wear them in rings, necklaces, whatever, and they’ll hold up pretty well. That’s cool.
