Ask the Experts Cleaning and Polishing Gemstones Q&A

Is there a simple way that I can increase the polished look of the commercial grade stone beads like sodalite?

- Laura

To tumble rock, use a rock tumbler and the rock tumbling and abrasive polishing kit. Pour in the manufacturer's recommended amount of tumbling media and tumble following manufacturer's directions. After the manufacturer's recommended amount of time, remove the lid from the tumbler and evaluate your results. Adjust your process accordingly. Change the variables if needed such as tumble for a longer length of time or add in more tumbling media.

Sodalite is considered a semiprecious stone and has a hardness of about 5.5 to 6--significantly softer than other commonly tumbled materials such as agate and jasper, so should be tumbled only with other sodalite pieces or stones with similar hardnesses, such as feldspars, amazonite or moonstone.

- Kristal Wick, Designer, Author and Jewelry-Making Expert