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The Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness is a comparative method for measuring the hardness of minerals (but it is used for other materials, as well).
It was created in 1812 by geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mosh and is one of the oldest definitions of hardness in material science available today. The Mohs scale ranks materials by comparing the ability of each material to scratch and be scratched by other materials. That is, each material on the scale can scratch the materials below it (which have a lower degree of hardness) and can be scratched by the materials that precede them and have a higher degree of hardness.
The degree of hardness of a material and especially a gemstone allows us to understand how delicate gemstones are and how careful we must be with our jewelry. For example, a diamond, which is the hardest gemstone used in jewelry, can only be scratched by another diamond and that is why it is relatively safe to wear diamond jewelry in our daily lives. In contrast, pearls (although not a mineral gemstone) is one of the most sensitive materials and can be scratched by almost all other materials with which it may come in contact. That is why pearls must be stored separately somewhere where they can not come into contact with other materials, and we should be cautious when wearing them.
