Polished Rocks

In all ancient civilizations history records the carving of stones for tools and adornment. Beads, scarabs, amulets, seals, even bowls were cut from stone. In the 1400’s real developments began. Grinding wheels were developed, shapes were improved upon, and better polishing techniques emerged. Polished Rocks have emerged as collectable items, decorator items, and even pocket rocks.

Polished rocks and polished slabs are often worked into other pieces of art, such as tables, or lamps. Some lapidary rocks can be tumbled, a process that can take several days to several weeks to continually roll around the stones, grinding them smooth and giving them a glossy polished finish. Most decorator polished rocks must be done by hand, hardness of materials can vary greatly, requiring some skill in handling the material. Saws can be oil or water; grinding wheels can be carbide or diamond. Some materials must be treated or cut with a hardening resin. The lapidary rock need to be taken through several grinding and sanding phases to finish them off. The final step is the polishing, and again you must know what works best on what stone materials. There are more than a dozen types of rock polish on the market, but most cutters rely on 2-3 favorites. Each finished polished piece is a unique work of art!

See some beautiful and unique Polished Rocks at OakRocks.net!

And be sure and check out our Polished Stone Slabs too!

The words rock and stone are generally interchangeable. “Gem” and “gemstone” are not scientific terms. They are really trade names referring to especially beautiful stones or minerals; or jewelry or collector grade; or rare materials. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if it looks good to you, it’s worth collecting!

What do people do with polished rocks? Many people collect them for decorative purposes. Polished rocks come in many different sizes and colors and can compliment any home. Polished rocks are unique and thoughtful gifts - for a housewarming; for the executive to put on his/her desk; or for anybody who appreciates their natural beauty. Some people collect polished rocks for their metaphysical properties. The believe that rocks and gemstones can aid in healing has been around since ancient time.

Here at OakRocks we do most of our own polishing, and we take great pride in our quality finish! Our polished rocks are from beautiful gemstone materials that we hand select. We have lots of polished rocks-from small tumbled pieces to extra large pieces. We have freeform sculpted pieces; cabochons for jewelry; figurines-such as animals; and shapes-such as spheres, and eggs.