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touchstone

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small tablet of dark stone used for assaying precious metal alloys

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Touchstone set

A touchstone is a small tablet of dark stone such as slate or lydite, used for assaying precious metal alloys. It has a finely grained surface on which soft metals leave a visible trace. Basic requirements for a touchstone: hardness on the mineralogical scale 4.6-6.5, the touchstone must be free of cracks and not react with inorganic acids and their mixtures.

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