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Ruby, Sapphire, and Fancy Sapphire:
Red corundums are rubies. Blue corundums are sapphires. Trace elements produce their colors. Most people don’t realize that ruby and sapphire are both gems of the mineral corundum. Both of these gemstones have the same chemical composition and the same mineral structure. Trace amounts of impurities determine if a gem corundum will be a brilliant red ruby or a beautiful…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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:
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Tumbled Stones:
Rough rocks transformed into smooth, shiny, colorful works of natural art! What Are Tumbled Stones? Tumbled stones are small, rounded, brightly polished pieces of rocks and minerals. They are made by placing rough rocks in a machine known as a rock tumbler, which tumbles them until their edges and surfaces are smooth and polished. They are also known as…
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What’s the Future of Ethiopian Opals?
The future is very bright for Ethiopian opals. They are becoming much more visible in the gem and jewelry market, and the gem-buying public is becoming aware of them. All of this has occurred without a major mining company or jewelry brand spending millions of dollars to promote them. They occur in a variety of…
