Thank you all!
I finished off another batch, but I tried a new polish which did not work at all.
I’ve got another batch starting right now and I figure I may just try and throw the last batch through the polish stage again with my normal polish. I found out my friend really likes rock hunting too so this latest batch is from a spot she recommended. I got a lot of quartz looking stones, so I hope they turn out okay!
You have a wonderful collection! I'm sorry to hear about your rock tumbler. I have a small collection somewhere, but I have no clue where the majority of them are. All I have around is a rough amethyst, which, unfortunately, has a unicorn sitting on top of it. I could possibly remove it, but I'm worried that I may do damage to the quartz in the process.
I personally favour rough ores and minerals over smooth ones; I am primarily interested in a more natural state, seeing precisely how they would appear in nature (or as close as possible). I certainly do like smooth gemstones, though—they are absolutely beautiful and far more pleasant to hold. It's just that I like ores and minerals more because they're fascinating little pieces of nature that just happen to often be very pretty, sort of similar to how one may see fossils, I suppose.
I totally get where you are coming from! The raw stones can be just as beautiful as the tumbled rocks, and if I’m being honest I’ve definitely had a few that I wish I would have kept as is. Sometimes the rocks can lose their character through the tumbling process.
Nairamu, yes that is exactly it! I always have my eyes glued to the ground and living in the desert, it’s not hard to stumble upon rock rich areas!