Amethyst rock
![amethyst rock amethyst rock](http://www.analyticalsci.com/uploads/6/4/4/6/64467329/s270904456481439361_p439_i1_w640.jpeg)
The small pieces of media also deliver grit to all surfaces of the rough. The cylindrical shape of the ceramic media will act like a roller bearing and give the rocks a smooth tumbling action in the barrel. That will give you a ratio of about 70% quartz and 30% ceramics. When we tumble crystalline quartz in coarse grit, we fill the barrel about a third of the way with ceramic cylinders and then add the quartz. This is required if you want to avoid bruised tumbled stones. When you are happy with the shape, move on to medium grit.Ģ) Media Needed: You want crystalline quartz to be swimming in a sea of ceramic cylinder media. We suggest tumbling crystalline quartz in coarse grit for two weeks, clean the rough and the barrel, then run one or two more weeks in coarse grit - until you are happy with the shape. In small tumblers of two or three pounds capacity, three or four weeks - or longer - can be needed. For the rough that we are selling, in six-, twelve- and fifteen-pound capacity barrels, two to four weeks might be required to shape the rough nicely.
![amethyst rock amethyst rock](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1wuI3N3HqK1RjSZFkq6x.WFXaC/Wholesale-100g-Natural-Amethyst-Stone-Gravel-Rock-Crystal-Quartz-Raw-Gemstone-Specimen-Stones-and-Crystals.jpg)
When tumbling the banded amethyst sold here, two things should be considered:ġ) More Time: Crystalline quartz is hard and because of that it requires more time in the tumbler with coarse grit to produce nicely-shaped tumbled stones. The ceramic media absorbs much of the impact energy produced during the tumble. The small particles of ceramic media smooth the tumbling action and isolate the pieces of quartz from impact with one another. This problem is easy to solve by tumbling the quartz in a sea of ceramic cylinder media. These bruises are caused by quartz-to-quartz impacts within the tumbler barrel. It is one of the remaining parts of the world where a wide variety of semiprecious stones are still being found.Īs a crystalline variety of quartz, banded amethyst can be polished to a very high luster but many people who tumble it in pieces over about one inch in size experience a problem - tiny bruises around the edges of their tumbled stones. Namibia is a difficult place to live or explore for gems because much of it is covered by desert. This banded amethyst is mined in Namibia, a country on the western coast of southern Africa. Here are some pieces of our rough banded amethyst that were tumbled using the Rock Tumbling Recipe below.