-
Tumbled Stone Treatments:
Many manufacturers treat tumbled stones with heat, dye, oil, or wax. These treatments can improve the appearance and marketability of the stones. Heat and dye can change the color of a stone. Oil and wax can conceal fractures, hide a bad polishing job, or make a smooth rough stone look like it has been polished.…
-
Tumbled Stones in Alternative Medicine:
A large percentage of the world’s tumbled stone production is sold in spa, massage, alternative medicine and New Age markets. Here their uses include: “healing crystals,” “chakra stones,” “energy stones,” and “massage stones.” In some types of alternative medicine, stones are placed on the body at points of discomfort or on “spiritual centers” known as…
-
How Are Tumbled Stones Used?
Tumbled stones are used for a wide variety of purposes. Each year a few thousand tons of tumbled stones are produced at commercial tumbling facilities, located in several different countries. They are then sold individually or by the pound or used to produce jewelry or items of decor. Depending upon the size of the stones…
-
How Are Tumbled Stones Made?
Tumbled stones are made in a machine known as a rock tumbler. The most commonly used rock tumbler is a rotary machine that turns a barrel containing the stones, along with abrasive grit, and water, for days and weeks at a time. As the rocks tumble in the barrel, the grains of abrasive grit get caught…
-
What Materials Are Used to Make Tumbled Stones?
The most popular materials used for making tumbled stones are attractive and colorful rocks and minerals that have a Mohs hardness between 5 and 8. These materials are generally durable and accept a good polish. Some of the most commonly tumbled materials are listed below. Varieties of Chalcedony: Varieties of Crystalline Quartz: Minerals: Rocks: Fossil Materials: