Corundum typically exhibits a vitreous to subadamantine luster. This means it has a glassy appearance, though it can also have a slightly more reflective quality akin to that of diamonds in certain conditions. The luster can vary slightly based on impurities and the specific form of corundum, such as sapphire or ruby. Overall, its luster contributes to its appeal as a gemstone.
Talc and corundum can be distinguished primarily by their hardness and appearance. Talc is the softest mineral on the Mohs scale, with a hardness of 1, while corundum is much harder, rated at 9. Additionally, talc typically has a greasy feel and a pearly luster, whereas corundum has a more glassy appearance and can be found in various colors, including blue (sapphire) and red (ruby). Visual observation of these characteristics, along with a simple scratch test, can help differentiate the two.
Corundum.
Corundum is in the trigonal crystal system.
Corundum is a hard and tough mineral that typically feels smooth and dense. It often has a distinct vitreous luster and can range in color, with common varieties being red (ruby) and blue (sapphire). When cut and polished, corundum can appear transparent and exhibit strong brilliance.
Diamond is the hardest mineral and is the only one that can scratch corundum. but in my opinion corundum will scratch corundum any mineral of the same hardness will scratch the other !
Corundum's luster is metallic.
The luster of the sapphire is vitreous or adamantine.
Ruby (corundum) has a vitreous or glassy luster.
THE EIGHT WAYS TO I.D. A MINERALThe eight ways to identify a mineral such as corundum are 1 hardness 2 crystal shape 3 special features 4 density 5 streak 6 luster 7 cleavage or fracture 8 color. (to find out hardness look up "Mohs scale of hardness" everything else you could search it on google or bing)
Talc and corundum can be distinguished primarily by their hardness and appearance. Talc is the softest mineral on the Mohs scale, with a hardness of 1, while corundum is much harder, rated at 9. Additionally, talc typically has a greasy feel and a pearly luster, whereas corundum has a more glassy appearance and can be found in various colors, including blue (sapphire) and red (ruby). Visual observation of these characteristics, along with a simple scratch test, can help differentiate the two.
Corundum.
Corundum ( (Al_2O_3) ) is hexagonal in crystal structure.
Corundum is in the trigonal crystal system.
Ruby cannot be considered either as it is not an element. It is primarily made of corundum, which is a compound of aluminum (a metal) and oxygen (a nonmetal).
Corundum is used for jewlery
Corundum is a hard and tough mineral that typically feels smooth and dense. It often has a distinct vitreous luster and can range in color, with common varieties being red (ruby) and blue (sapphire). When cut and polished, corundum can appear transparent and exhibit strong brilliance.
Sapphire is a mineral itself. It is the blue variety of the mineral corundum. Sapphire is a very hard mineral at a 9 on the Mohs scale of 1 - 10. Sapphires usually have a glassy luster which makes them perfect for jewelry. They can also be colors other than blue; however, sapphires are never red. The red variety of corundum is a ruby.