I Tumbled Rare Turquoise in a Vibratory Tumbler... And Almost Ruined It!

Can you tumble soft, rare turquoise in a vibratory rock tumbler without destroying it? Join me on a brand-new rock-hounding and lapidary adventure as I try tumbling turquoise in a vibratory tumbler for the very first time! Because turquoise is a notoriously soft mineral, I was always terrified of ruining my hard-mined specimens. To make sure I didn't turn my treasure into dust, I reached out to Tony Otteson (of the legendary Otteson Turquoise family in Nevada) to get his expert insider tips. In this video, I’ll take you step-by-step through my entire trial-and-error process—from the initial water-level disasters and frantic cleanups to experimenting with a unique dry-polish stage using coconut oil, aluminum oxide, and walnut shells. Along the way, we'll reveal gorgeous, shiny nuggets of Royston, Pilot Mountain, and Broken Arrow Variscite that I mined myself! Whether you're an experienced lapidary artist looking to critique my rookie mistakes (hate comments welcome!) or a beginner wanting to learn from my messy mishaps, "fail up" with me and let's see how these beauties turn out! Connect with me: 📸 Tag me in your tumbling results on social media: @ElleyKnowsRocks 🔔 Subscribe for more rockhounding, mining, and lapidary adventures! Otteson Turquoise Digs: https://www.ottesonbrothersturquoise.... ** FIND MORE GEOLOGY VIDEOS HERE    • I Dug Into a Private Mine… and Found INSAN...   ** FIND MORE ROCKHOUND VIDEOS HERE    • Selenite on Golden Shores Arizona ROCKhoun...   GET YOUR ROCKS HERE https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElleyKnowsR... *MERCH* ElleyKnowsRocks: https://elley-knows-rocks.myspreadsho... *WEBSITE* http://elleyknowsrocks.com ⬇️⬇️ Use What Elley Knows Rocks Uses: ⬇️⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/shop/elleyknow... FAN E-Mail [email protected] Be Part of My Adventure Facebook:   / elleyknowsrocks   Instagram:   / elleyknowsrocks   Tiktok:   / elleyknowsrocks   Twitter:   / elleyknowsrocks   0:00 – Intro: A Messy Start & Hair in the Tumbler 0:14 – Welcome to the Channel & The Turquoise Tumbling Experiment 1:14 – Getting Expert Advice from Tony Otteson 2:03 – Stage 1 Begins (60/90 Grit) & The Indoor Mud Disaster 3:34 – Checking the First 30-Minute Run 4:31 – Rinsing Stage 1 & First Look at the Raw Turquoise 5:16 – Stage 2 Setup (150/220 Grit) 6:20 – Stage 2 Reveal & Collecting the Fine Nuggets 7:21 – Stage 3 Setup (500/600 Grit) 8:05 – Making the "Charge": Coconut Oil & Aluminum Oxide Polish Paste 8:52 – Rinsing Stage 3: Spotting the Pilot Mountain & Royston Gems 10:50 – A Gross Discovery: Pantry Moths in the Walnut Shell! 11:55 – Prepping the Dry Polish Barrel 12:36 – Loading the Dry Turquoise & The Lost Washer Incident 14:08 – 24-Hour Polish Check: Spotting the Shine 14:52 – The Grand Reveal: Stunning, Shiny Polished Turquoise! 15:51 – Tedious Work: Straining Out "Turquoise Sand" 16:26 – Final Thoughts: Is Tumbling Turquoise Worth It? #geology #rocks #elleyknowsrocks #minerals #rockhound #optoutside #travelinggeologist #learngeology