cleaning stones

[Sophie]

I brought back a handful of stones from Namibia - beautiful, mined in the country, but not very well "conditioned". They still have persistent bits of grit all over them. I'd like to know how safely to clean the crud off them. I think there are safe chemicals to use. Does anyone know? I've looked in various books, but they all assume you buy stones in mint condition from New Age shops, and talk about cleansing energy, not cleaning grit!!

The crystals I am talking about are:

- fluorite & black tourmaline (together & separate)
- rock crystal - a lovely double point
- aquamarine
- smoky crystal

Thanks!

[Emeraldgirl]

Hi,

Lukewarm water can be good to start with and see how they react to that. I would also recommend jewellery cleaner (ask at the shop first though different places use different blends) with a SOFT tootbrush for everything but the aquamarine. Also really really diluted dishwashing liquid can do wonders in lukewarm water if you leave them to soak.

[Sophie]

Hi Emeraldgirl - thanks! I've tried all that - and scrubbing gently. But this is persistant grit. There must be something the professionals use to condition crystals, because when they are mined, they always come out gritty.

[wizzle]

Dear H,

How dirty is dirty? Assuming you are dealing with plain dirt and grit, here are things to consider:

1. Your softest stone is probablythe flourite with a mohs hardness of 4 or so. So clean it with warm water and a very soft toothbrush.
2. If your other stones are quartz (6.5 on the mohs scale), and they sound like they are, the only consideration in cleaning is inclusions which could, theoretically, break the stone if you are using a sonic cleaner (like for jewelery). So I wouldn't do that. Why risk it? Instead, soak your stones in a solution of water and tile/shower or jewelry cleaner, about half and half. Then brush the stones with your toothbrush to loosen any remainining dirt and grit. The tile cleaner will also remove any calcite deposits that might be dimming your stone's luster.
3. Aquamarine is even harder than quartz and can be treated in the same manner and with the same considerations.

Tile cleaner and jewelry cleaner (which I use) are pretty similar in formula. Neither should be used on emeralds, pearls, mother of pearl, opals, coral or other soft stones.

[Sophie]

Thanks Wizzle! The grit is tough, but there isn't that much of it. I'll give the tile cleaner & water a go. I have one stone that might be a problem - it's a composite fluorite & black tourmaline. The fluorite is clean but the tourmaline has brown grit on it. I don't want to damage the fluorite, obviously. Hopefully time & patience will succeed.