Gemstone Polishing Guide/Reference

Comprehensive List of Polishing Agents for Gemstones

Polishing gemstones can be a tricky thing. There is a fine art to polishing gemstones and takes years for professionals to master the skill. Moreover, one of the biggest hindrances to artists while they are polishing, is that they use the same polishing agent to polish all of their gemstones! 

This can be detrimental when it comes to polishing certain stones. So it is extremely important that lapidary cutters know what polishing agent should polish what stones. This is a comprehensive list of common gemstone materials that most cutters find themselves polishing. In this list you will find the polishing agents that work best for each material, as well as the type of medium you should use to apply the polish. 

Every material is going to be a little different depending on the hardness of the material and the structure of the material. If you are polishing with a rock tumbler then you will just need the polishing agent. (The second word in each column.)