Fundamentals of Lapidary Part 3, Tumbling International Gem Society Dedicated to bringing quality information and educational services to everyone interested in gemstones. French, German, Italian, Portugese and Spanish speakers click here .
Tumbling is a simple process where the rough material is put in a revolving barrel with abrasives.
Progressively finer abrasives are used until a polish is obtained. This process closely resembles what happens to rocks in a stream or on the beach, except that the level of polish is much higher. This is the simplest and least expensive of the lapidary arts. It requires a minimum of equipment and the minimal skills of being able to read the instructions and measure the abrasives. It is an ideal activity for children, or for families to do together.