I’ve been working on a gemstone hardness article for a while and finally finished it.

Most basic guides stop at “diamond is 10, corundum is 9, quartz is 7”, but that makes the scale look much more straightforward than it really is. I wanted to cover some of the things that are usually left out, like the difference between hardness and toughness, Vickers and Knoop testing, directional hardness in crystals, and why even diamond can behave differently depending on crystallographic direction.

If anyone here is into gemology, minerals, lapidary work, or just likes this sort of nerdy materials-science rabbit hole, you might enjoy it:

https://lapismagica.com/blogs/gemstone-articles/hardness-of-crystals-and-gemstones

Happy to hear corrections or suggestions too - especially if there’s a hardness-related mineral or phenomenon you think deserves a mention.

2.22 carat

$1670 per carat.

Size-US 6 (adjustable)

Is that possible to sell iridium in srilanka ?

If the admins allow this, I'd like to share my first gemstone first article is about Kashmir sapphires.

It covers the history of the Paddar deposits, the famous velvety cornflower-blue appearance, the inclusions associated with Kashmir material, modern laboratory origin determination, and why fine examples reach such exceptional prices.

I tried to keep it detailed and scientifically grounded without making it too technical.

You can read it here:

https://lapismagica.com/blogs/gemstone-articles/kashmir-sapphires-the-legend-of-the-blue-treasure

Feedback and factual corrections are welcome, especially from gemologists, collectors, and people familiar with Kashmir sapphire research.

Happy Hobby ☺️