Quote:
Originally Posted by Basilissa
Maybe she's going to get a gift of skin that's 10 in Mohs scale?
On the other hand, most regular sand on regular beaches is made up of the most common rock on earth - quartz - which is 7 in Mohs scale. That's abrasive material, too, and yet I don't see people complaining about abrasion too much - id does depend on the force with which you hit it, so stepping on abrasive material does not cause as much damage as hitting it with more force.
On the third hand, I have seen both diamond sand and corundum sand and I must admit that precious stones look rather... bland when ground. 
Personally, I'd prefer to rest on larger pieces of gemstones, but then, of course, the diamonds would be grinding all of the softer stones... maybe set them in a matrix like these new countertop surfaces?...
Hmm....  This is more complicated than I have thought. |
I kept thinking about it and the minerals that glitter the best when ground to sand particle size belong to mica group. So the best solution would be to grind something like a mica schist. Look for one with high ratio of muscovite for a bright gold-like effect, or lepidolite for lavender shine. Biotite, on the other hand, will give a mysterious black shine. Either way, a mica-rich sand would give an awesomely sparkling beach!
At any rate, mica is much softer and therefore more gentle for the skin, at around 2 in Mohs scale.
