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Unpopular opinion: The Mohs scale feels outdated for modern mineral hunting.
Why do guides always skip the tricky middle hardness levels?
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jessica_robinson237mo ago
Why do guides always gloss over the middle part of the hardness scale? I've been mineral hunting for years, and this is a real issue. They focus on easy tests, like scratching glass, but skip the tricky middle numbers. Most minerals fall in that middle range, from 4 to 7. Without proper tests, it's easy to get them wrong. The Mohs scale is old and does not help with newer finds. We need a better way to teach hardness that includes these gaps.
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the_hayden7mo ago
Seriously! @jessica_robinson23 nails it. That middle range from 4 to 7 is where most common minerals sit. Guides just say "scratch glass" for hardness 7 and ignore the rest. We really need simple tests for those tricky in-between numbers.
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victor_jones997mo ago
Oh man, my buddy got totally mixed up last month because of this... he was sure he had a piece of feldspar, hardness 6. But his old guide just said "scratches glass" and he didn't have a steel file to check. Turns out it was calcite, a whole 3 on the scale. That middle part is a real trap for new hunters.
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