Rock Tumbling Lapis Lazuli – Process & Techniques
This is one in a series of Rock Tumbling “How-To” videos that I have been posting on YouTube. This video features me tumbling Lapis Lazuli! Lapis is a vary popular gemstone that is Royal Blue with flashy bits of Pyrite. Lapis has been revered for centuries and was a Holy stone to the Ancient Egyptians. This stone is challenging, because it is a softer stone comprised of three different minerals: lazurite, calcite and pyrite. Each mineral has a different hardness, so they will grind away at different speeds. Due to the risk of undercutting and the difficulty to get a final polished shine – Lapis Lazuli is an Intermediate level project.
Check out the video below to watch my entire process and see the final shine of this flashy Lapis!
Want to Learn to Tumble Gemstones??
Check out my new Online Course – “Rock Tumbling 101”
Get the RAY-TECH Tumble-Vibe 5 for UNDER $100!
My Rock Tumbling Equipment List:
- Rotary Rock Tumblers
- Lortone 3A – https://amzn.to/2XUzlLY
- Lortone 33B – https://amzn.to/2XRIHYJ
- Lortone QT6 – https://amzn.to/32DZSMf
- Lortone QT66 – https://amzn.to/2LxLQX3 (My Favorite!!)
- Lortone 45C – https://amzn.to/2LwVlpE
- Thumler AR-2 – https://amzn.to/2XRJYit
- Grits & Polish
- 60/90 Silicon Carbide Course Grit – https://amzn.to/2JTB7TB
- 120/200 Silicon Carbide Medium Grit – https://amzn.to/2JTB9uH
- 500 Aluminum Oxide Fine Grit – https://amzn.to/2JVST8I
- 1000 Aluminum Oxide Extra-Fine Grit – https://amzn.to/2JSbPoV
- Aluminum Oxide Polish – https://amzn.to/2xVCmfu
- Tin Oxide Polish – https://amzn.to/2LtYmH7
- Grit & Polish Combo Pack – https://amzn.to/2JQZd1i
- Tumbling Media
- Large Ceramic Media – https://amzn.to/2JRt7T1
- Small Ceramic Media – https://amzn.to/2Ly9Qtm
- Plastic Pellets – https://amzn.to/2xYA5Ao
- Burnishing
- 20 Mule Team Borax – https://amzn.to/2SynwoQ
- Dreft Detergent – https://amzn.to/2XULSPq
- Books
- “Modern Rock Tumbling”by Steve Hart (The BEST tumbling book out there!) – https://amzn.to/2XUMepe
