A guy at the Sedona rock show told me my agate polishing was too aggressive

He pulled out a loupe and showed me how my old method with a coarse grit was leaving tiny scratches you could only see up close, saying 'You're losing the fire in the stone.' I switched to a gentler, multi-stage process starting with a 600 grit diamond wheel. Now my pieces from the Oregon coast have a much deeper, glassier shine. Anyone else have a tip for that final polish on chalcedony?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_perry17d ago

Try a final hand polish with cerium oxide on a felt wheel. That stuff brings out a crazy deep, wet looking shine on chalcedony that power tools just can't match. It's a bit more work but totally worth it for the final piece.

lisa_murray17d ago

Oh man, that cerium oxide tip is spot on. I had the same "aha" moment a few years back after ruining the surface on a killer piece of Lake Superior agate. Switched to a leather lap wheel with that exact polish for the final step and it was like night and day. The shine goes from looking kinda hard and shiny to this deep, liquid glow that makes all the banding pop. It's a game changer for sure.