How To Polish Lapis Lazuli (Tips For Beginners)

When you first get a Lapis Lazuli, it looks so beautiful, that you should learn how to care for it early on.

As you build your rock, mineral, and crystal collection, bookmark this beginner’s guide that teaches you how to care for Lapis Lazuli.

How To Polish Lapis Lazuli: Cleaning and Polishing Tips

Background About Lapis Lazuli

The background behind Lapis Lazuli will help you to understand how to polish Lapis Lazuli quickly, and effectively.

Lapis Lazuli has a hardness of 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This makes the stone a very soft stone.

The stone called Lapis Lazuli is a softer rock that has been around for thousands of years.

It is one that is both beautiful and mysterious, and some say, even powerful.

It may be the beauty of the stone on its own that makes it feel powerful.

This stone comes in a beautiful shade of blue that brings a unique brilliance to the world of gemstones and jewelry made with lapis lazuli.

Each one is unique and eye-catching.

Soft stones are also known to be more porous.

So you have to be very careful about how you clean and polish the Lapis Lazuli.

You can dip it in some water, but you don’t want to soak it for too long.

You also don’t want to put Lapis Lazuli into direct sunlight.

As a soft stone, Lapis Lazuli is very sensitive to extreme or direct heat.

A lot of exposure to the sunlight is going to fade the brilliance of this stone.

The best places to store Lapis Lazuli are in a box for gems or something that will avoid the light.

If you put it in a jewelry box after cleaning and polishing, you even want to keep the jewelry box out of direct sun.

Keeping silica gel in your jewelry boxes will help to keep your Lapis Lazuli free of moisture for as long as possible.

Cleaning Lapis Lazuli

Before you learn how to polish Lapis Lazuli, learn how to clean it effectively.

You will need to first wipe it down with a soft cloth.

In many cases this cloth will come with the stones.

Wiping it down with a soft cloth will remove any debris before you polish it.

When you clean the stone, you do not want to do it daily.

This is a soft stone that has a delicate structure to it.

Wiping it down with a dry cloth can be done as regularly as you want.

Using water on it on a regular basis is not a good idea.

Many wonder if it is even necessary to learn how to polish a Lapis Lazuli or clean it at all.

That is a personal preference, but cleaning and polishing it regularly will be up to you.

Wiping it down regularly will remove debris that may come up from regular wearing or use.

Sweat and human oil have a tendency to stay on the stone, and this will impact its luster.

You can now gently clean your Lapis Lazuli with warm water and a mild soap or detergent.

You may want to try a test spot on your stone to test the color. Sometimes the Lapis Lazuli undergoes a dye treatment and the dyes will vary in stability.

Soap with your Lapis Lazuli is safe, if you do so sparingly.

You don’t really need to use soap on it unless there is real grit and dirt on it.

What you want to avoid is any kind of chemical cleaner as this could break down the outer layer of the stone, or anything it would be coated with.

Another thing you want to avoid is the temperature of the water.

Extreme heat of any kind is not good for the Lapis Lazuli.

When you are washing it or cleansing it, always use cold or room temperature water, with room temperature water being the optimum choice.

At the same time, when you are washing it, you don’t want to take a lot of time cleaning the stone.

Your stone should not be in water for too long.

Too much water on your stone will erode the calcite of your pretty gem.

Be careful with the cloth that you use with your stone.

Any abrasive cloth could scratch your stone.

The best kind of cloth for the Lapis Lazuli is a micro fiber cloth.

How to Polish Lapis Lazuli

You will know that it is time to polish your Lapis Lazuli when it begins to take on a dark or dull color.

It is easy to learn how to polish a Lapis Lazuli.

To polish a Lapis Lazuli after it has been cleaned, a jewelry grinder and a silicon carbide tool is the best way to do so.

You want to use gentle motions when you are grinding it in order to get some shine.

You can use a chemical known as aluminum oxide or alumina to polish the stone.

It will give it a beautiful sparkle.

Another commonly used chemical for polishing the stone is chrome oxide.

This can be a messier process, and may confuse you as it is green in color.

Use it for polishing, and wear gloves. Also do so in a closed room and be careful with the product.

It can be very messy, and it is not unusual to see that on walls and floors when you are done.

It is easy to clean, and you will enjoy using it on your Lapis Lazuli.

As messy as chrome oxide is, it is worth it for many Lapis Lazuli owners, as it provides a beautiful shine.

You simply need to spread it on the stone, or put your stone in it, and rub the chemical into the stone.

Then rinse it off several times.

You will find a different shine or sheen with your Lapis Lazuli stones after you polish.

Not all will look the same.

Some will sparkle, and others may come out as spotty after the polish.

You can apply a colorless wax to the stone and a resin to add to the polish after you have polished it.

Start Polishing Your Lapis Lazuli Today

When you learn how to polish Lapis Lazuli, you’ll want to make every stone you own shine.

Use this beginner’s guide to making your Lapis Lazuli sparkle, and every piece you wear will become a conversation piece everywhere you go.