How to Polish Shattuckite

Shattuckite is a copper silicate mineral often forming side by side with malachite, a copper carbonate mineral. Shattuckite is coarse and rough but when polished smooth and shiny, it is a strong reflector of light, featuring bright shades of blue. The polishing process is key to making shattuckite a valuable mineral. Fortunately, you can bring out the best in shattuckite using an ordinary stone polisher.

Water
Tumbler polisher
Abrasive grit

Instructions

- 1
  Purchase a tumble polisher online or from an arts and craft store. Add the shattuckite stones you want to polish into the tumbler, filling it two-thirds of the way.
- 2
  Add an abrasive grit or sand-like material in with the shattuckite along with a liquid lubricant. Water is the most commonly used lubricant. Pumice, silicon carbide, chrome oxide, aluminum oxide and walnut shells are commonly used to polish shattuckite in a tumble polisher. The slight, controlled erosion of the shattuckite by the grit in the tumbler creates a smooth, glossy-like shine. Exact measurements depend on the size of the tumbler.
- 3
  Leave the tumbler running for three days for moderately smooth rocks and up to 10 days for jagged shattuckite rocks. Repeat this process three times, each time reducing the size of the grit. The stones slide past one other with the grit between, and the water prevents scratching or breaking.

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