How to Cut and Polish Gemstones Without Machines

How to Cut and Polish Gemstones Without Machines

This is a quick video tutorial on how to cut and polish a low hardness gemstone (in this case, Fluorite) using materials that you can find around the home and at your local hardware store.
-What you need:
-Metal/Glass polish
-A chopping board (or something similar)
-Sandpaper in 4 different grits (the tutorial uses 180, 400, 600 and 1200 grit)
-A clean cloth
-Tap water
www.lawsongems.com

Below is a list of some common gems you could use this technique with (the softer the better in most cases). The top of the list will be the hardest to deal with and the most time consuming.

Lapis Lazuli 5 – 6
Turquoise 5 – 6
Apatite 5
Chrome Diopside 5 – 6
Obsidian 5 – 5.5
Larimar 4.5 – 5
Charoite 4.5 – 5
Rhodochrosite 4
Variscite 4 – 5
Ammolite 4
Fluorite 4
Azurite 3.5 – 4
Malachite 3.5 – 4
Sphalerite 3.5 – 4
Calcite 3
Coral 3 – 4
Verdite 3
Lepidolite 2.5 – 3
Pearl 2.5 – 4.5
Chrysocolla 2 – 4
Seraphinite 2 – 4
Amber 2 – 2.5