Home >> Hobbies >> Gemology

Rock Polishing Directions

Rock enthusiasts and jewelry artisans often like to shape and polish their stones themselves. While most invested aficionados use a rock tumbler, you can also polish stones by hand. Hand polishing is best done with softer stones like fluorite, dolomite, onyx and other stones ranging from 3 to 4 on the Moh’s hardness scale. You may hand polish harder stones, but be prepared to have lots of patience. Beginners are better off starting with soft stones and working their way up. Many soft stones contain lovely colors and make beautiful jewelry and display pieces.

Things You'll Need

Raw stones
Goggles
Face mask
Rough concrete surface
Soft cloths
Wooden work table
Thumbtacks
50 grit sandpaper
150 grit sandpaper
300 grit sandpaper
600 grit sandpaper
1500 grit sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Put on your goggles and face mask before working with your stones. Rock dust can easily damage your eyes and is hazardous when inhaled. Keep your safety gear on when in your workspace even when you aren’t grinding; rock dust may still be in the air.
- 2
  Rub your raw stones against a rough concrete surface, paying attention to small protrusions that you want to get rid of. The concrete should give you a relatively even, rough surface. Wipe off your rock with a soft cloth to remove residual dust.
- 3
  Lay a square of 50 grit sandpaper on your wooden work table. Tack it to the table with a thumbtack in each corner and another in the center of each side. Rub your rock firmly over the sandpaper, rubbing away the rough surface and shaping the stone into its final shape.
- 4
  Replace the 50 grit paper with 150 grit paper. Rub the stone over this paper to remove scratch marks from the concrete and rough paper. You aren’t shaping the stone any longer, you’re just giving it a very smooth, matte surface.
- 5
  Replace the 150 grit paper with 300 grit and rub the stone over it to begin shining your stone. Repeat with 600 and 1500 sandpaper to give your stone a high, fine polish. Be patient; it may take time to see results with each paper, but your stone will eventually become shiny and smooth.

Gemology