Tubmling diamonds

Jewelry Discussion
1

Has anybody ever “rounded” a diamond in a tumbler using other
diamonds to do the rounding? Are alluvial diamonds rounded?

I am wondering too because I have lots of alluvial glassy samples of
1/2 mm or less from my prospecting in BC. Could some of them be
diamonds? How would I know?

PtP

2

Hi Peter,

I am wondering too because I have lots of alluvial glassy samples
of 1/2 mm or less from my prospecting in BC. Could some of them be
diamonds? How would I know?

One way is to check each individual stone with a diamond tester.

Then the other way is to put them all in the tumbler & hope for the
best. If there’s both diamonds & softer material, the softer
material may be partially eroded away.

Dave

3

I haven’t heard of anyone tumbling diamonds. Not saying it can’t be
done but the normal process of using silicon carbide grit wouldn’t
work. Diamonds are harder that SiC. You would have to use diamond
powder and it would take forever since you would be abrading stones
of the same hardness. It would be like tumbling regular stones with
no SiC grit. I have mistakenly cleaned out a tumbler and forgot to
replace the grit and after two weeks I had stones that looked the
same as they went in and slightly cloudy water. Think how long it
took Mother Nature to round river rock or beach rock with just water
and sand…

Rick Copeland
Silversmith and Lapidary Artisan
Rocky Mountain Wonders
Colorado Springs, Colorado
rockymountainwonders.com

4

Hey comeon you guys n galls how do the diamond diggers recover
diamonds grease belts - if it sticks its a diamond. we onto basics
now just read up something to do with surface tension etc?

5

Thank you. I googled on it and it seems diamond is the only mineral
which clings to grease. Maybe grease can be used on a small scale to
assay for diamond grit.

Any thoughts on that?

PtP

6

yup! warm or disolve the grease in solvent then use a product that
only absorbs oil/grease not water “3m oil sorb”-" Sheets "will do the
trick then brush & rinse in soapy water diamond dust should then stay
in the water ?

Frank