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Tenacity,
or toughness, is the cohesiveness of a mineral. It is
the resistance the mineral or gemstone offers to
breakage. Tenacity and hardness,
though not necessarily related, are factors that determine
the durability of a gemstone.
Despite
their incredible hardness (10), diamonds are relatively
brittle because of their excellent cleavage. Nephrite
Jade has a Mohs hardness of only 6-6.5, but is not easily
broken.
Tenacity
is given in degrees of toughness:
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