Tumbled stones are beautiful, smooth stones of various types that come in hundreds of different colors and are often sold alongside or in place of crystals.

These gorgeous natural stones can be used for a number of different purposes, from rock decoration and DIYs to spiritual healing and mindfulness.

But since there’s so much information out there about tumbled stones and the many types of rock, figuring out where to start researching can feel intimidating. That’s why we’ve compiled this detailed guide to everything you need to know about natural tumbled stones.

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Anxiety & Depression

Petrified Wood

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Happiness & Positive Energy

Pink Aragonite

$2.00

Dreams & Sleep

Tibetan Black Quartz

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Power & Strength

Onyx

$1.50

Communication

Angelite Tumbled

$4.99

Energy & Motivation

Shiva Lingam

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Focus & Clarity

Mookaite

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Dreams & Sleep

Prehnite Medium Tumbled

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red jasper

What are Natural Tumbled Stones?

Way More than Rock Chips

Tumbled stones (also occasionally called tumbled crystals, tumblestones, polished stones, tumbled rock, baroque gemstones, or any combination of the above) are small segments of natural rock or a mineral like quartz that have been polished until entirely smooth, typically by sanding them down with a rock tumbler.

How do the various types of rock get tumbled?

The tumbling process can vary depending on the level of desired polish, the type of rock, the type of tumblers used, and personal preference, but most polished stones are created using a multi-step process involving rough, grit, and water.

How Natural Stones are Tumbled, Polished & Smoothed

The barrel of the tumbler is filled up the two-thirds or three-quarter mark with natural rock of varying sizes, ranging from small, quarter-inch-sized stones to larger ones up to one and a half inches in diameter. The user then adds two tablespoons of coarse grit to the barrel and enough water to nearly cover the rocks, and then the tumbler is turned on. After several days (or occasionally even several weeks!) the tumblers are turned off and the rock is removed and rinsed. They’re then returned to the washed tumblers, this time with water and medium grit, and the process begins again.

After a few more days, the rock chips are again removed from the tumbler, rinsed, and then once more returned back to the tumbler, now with water and a fine grit. The tumbler runs for several more days. Finally, the rock is removed, rinsed, and then returned to the barrel with water and rock polish. After running the tumbler once more for a few additional days, the stones emerge smooth and polished, devoid of sharp or raw edges and surfaces.

Mechanical tumblers are just one of several tools that can be used for the rock tumbling process. It’s also possible to tumble rock by hand using a handheld rotary tool, sandpaper, and rock polish, but this process tends to be more laborious and time-intensive; most tumbled stones are created using the rock tumbler process.

How Can You Use Tumbled Stones, Crystals, or Polished Stones?

There are a number of great ways to use tumbled stones. Numerous types of rock allow you to use these items for everything from decorative functions to healing ones.
clear quartz

Healing & Energy

Rock, crystals and polished stones have long been used to encourage healing and spiritual happiness. Tumbled stones and crystals can be worn against the skin or placed on chakras to activate them, allowing the body to cleanse itself of negative energy and promote the flow of positive energy.

Rose Quartz

Crystal & Stone Jewelry

Tumbled stones, rock and crystals are beautiful in and of themselves, but they can also make gorgeous jewelry pieces—and using them as jewelry has the added benefit of placing them against your skin, where you can directly receive their many benefits. You can use tumbled stones like quartz or other crystals to create your own DIY necklaces, pendants, or intention bracelets using a number of methods; check out this list of three easy methods to create stone necklaces, for example, and then explore our huge collection of tumbled stones to make your own!

Black Tourmaline

Arts, Crafts & Decoration

Tumbled stones and crystals make great additions to dozens of DIY projects. Each type of rock is small enough to be easily used, and they come in such a wide variety that they can be implemented in both eye-catching and subtle displays. Use the tumbled stones to make rock trivets, rain chains, or any other items you can think of—the sky is truly the limit!

amethyst

Decoration for Home & Work

Home decor could potentially be considered part of “arts and crafts.” But since there’s such a wide variety of decor projects that use polished stones and rock items, we think Decoration deserves its own section. Use natural rock, tumbled stones or crystals as vase fillers, as additions to picture frames, planters, or furniture, or as a way to create unique pieces of natural stone art.

Howlite

Mindfulness & Meditation

Many people struggle with maintaining concentrate during mindfulness and meditation exercises, even among those who enjoy it. Crystals and polished stones like quartz can help you achieve a greater depth of focus during meditation, providing you with a physical object to center on. Some stones and crystals also have properties that serve meditation particularly well, such as clear quartz (used both as an amplifier and for mental clarity) or selenite (used for mental clarity and relaxation).

Different types of crystal & tumbled stones

crystals
Most polished stones have a Mohs hardness of at least 5, and ideally between 6 and 8; it is very hard to polish soft types of rock in a tumbler, so dense, hard rocks typically become higher-quality stones. Even once you narrow down potential stones to those with a hardness of 5 or above, though, you’re left with a huge amount of varieties, each of them beautiful and beneficial in their own way. Some of the most widely-used ones include:
Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz Crystal

A member of the quartz family, rose quartz is said to promote feelings of love, faith, and harmony, both within ourselves and with others.

AMAZONITE

Amazonite

Amazonite is used to maintain balance. This tumbled stone is thought to help balance masculine and feminine energy, to soothe anxiety and encourage hopefulness, and to aid in better communication, especially within relationships.

lapis lazuli

Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is a gorgeous blue rock that is thought to help improve insight, truth, and self-awareness; many people use lapis lazuli when they feel conflicted, or are trying to make difficult decisions.

LABRADORITE

Labradorite

Labradorite is an eye-catching rock often called the “stone of transformation and transition.” As its name implies, these stones are used by those looking to find their true path in life or to assist someone through a major change.

amethyst

Amethyst Crystal

Amethyst crystal is a beautiful purple tumbled quartz stone intended to help enhance focus, promote positivity, reduce anxiety, and potentially even help get rid of nightmares.

Black Tourmaline

Black Tourmaline

Black Tourmaline is a dark stone typically used for protection. This rock is often used to ward against negative energy or spiritual attacks and are thought to be purifying and calming.

carnelian

Carnelian

Carnelian stones are an artist’s best friend: these pretty reddish stones are used to promote creativity and inspiration, to ward away indifference and fear, and to help increase your energy and spiritual awareness.

Moonstone

Natural Moonstone Crystals

Moonstone crystal is often called the “traveler’s stone.” This rock is often used by those with wanderlust in their veins. These stones are used for protection, to improve intuition, and to attract positive change to your life.

Check Our Wide Collection of Tumbled Stones

quartz

The Power of Natural Quartz Tumbled Stone Chips & Crystals

As you shop for tumbled stones, you’ll likely come across many forms of quartz. Every polished stone comes with its own unique benefits, but quartz stands apart not only because of how many varieties of quartz exist but also because of how beneficial its properties are.

What makes quartz such a versatile rock – and which quartz is right for you?

Here are a few of our favorite quartz options to help you compare the differences:

Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz Crystal (Love & Relationship Healing)

Rose quartz is a rose-colored stone most often associated with love. Rose quartz is used by practitioners to attract and aid in romance, to help lessen loneliness, to improve communication between partners, and to increase compassion, both in oneself and in others. Rose quartz tumbled stones are among the most widely-used in existence, and for good reason.

Aventurine

Aventurine (Productivity & Healing of Creative Blockages)

Aventurine is a pretty blue-green colored quartz stone often used for luck. As tumbled stones, this form of quartz can help increase productivity and creativity, and it’s often used by those who want to better display leadership.

Citrine

Citrine (Prosperity)

Citrine is also commonly known as the “merchant stone,” and is probably the exact quartz stone you’d want if you’re interested in entrepreneurship, or even if you’re just trying to attract wealth. Citrine is a yellowish quartz meant to manifest prosperity and increase motivation, verve, and confidence.

Clear Quartz Crystal

Clear Quartz Crystal (Mental Healing and Clarity)

Clear quartz, like its name implies, promotes clarity of mind. These quartz stones can be used for meditation and to assist with concentration, and can also be used to amplify the properties found in other stones.

AMETHYST CRYSTAL

Amethyst Crystal (Emotional & Physical Healing)

Amethyst may not be the first crystal that comes to mind when you think of quartz, but this gorgeous, violet-colored rock actually is a type of quartz. Amethyst quartz has been prized for millennia; the ancient Greeks believed that amethyst could be used to prevent drunkenness, medieval Europeans believed that amethyst could be used to protect soldiers and knights in battle. And nowadays, many practitioners use amethyst quartz for physical and mental healing, and to ward against negative energy.

Smokey Quartz

Smokey Quartz (Blockage of Negative Energy)

This black and gray quartz is often used as a grounding stone: a stone that allows users to center themselves and connect with the energy surrounding them. Smoky quartz is used to dispel negative energy and unblock chakras and to provide protection against accidents and misfortune, and can also improve concentration and attention.

Other Forms

Other Forms of Natural Quartz & Crystals for Healing

The list above isn’t exhaustive: Tiger’s Eye, for example, is another type of quartz often used to help manage stress and anxiety, and many other stones (such as agate and onyx) often contain quartz as well. No matter what you’re looking for, though, it’s likely you’ll find a type of quartz to help you.

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Using Tumbled Stone or Crystal Pouches for Healing & Energy

Stones and crystals have been used for their healing properties for centuries, and nowadays it’s easier than ever to find tumbled stones perfect for you. At their most basic, tumbled stones and various types of crystal can be used for meditative purposes, but many also use tumbled stones for different types of healing. These include:
cleansing

Natural cleansing or opening up chakras

Chakras are spiritual energy centers used in both meditation and healing that serve as focal points for a person’s energy. Negative emotion can cause your chakra to become blocked, however, which can lead to a number of physical and mental afflictions. Tumbled stones and crystals used during yoga or meditation can be used to help open or rebalance these chakras, thus improving your quality of life and health.

PROMOTING PHYSICAL HEALING

Promoting physical
healing

Many sorts of stones and crystal are used to help accelerate healing. Quartz crystal, for example, is said to help support the immune system. Malachite crystal is used to decrease pain from arthritis, calcite is used to help treat nausea, and malachite is used to help treat infections and inflammation.

mental health

Managing and improving mental health & spiritual healing

Mental health is just as important as physical health, and many types of tumbled stones are used to help maintain our mental and emotional balance as well. Hematite, for example, is a popular tumbled stone used to help decrease anxiety, while howlite is used to help manage stress and anger.

fossils

What about Fossils and Other Items from the Earth?

Fossils are created when minerals like quartz mix with sediment. And because of their age (fossils can be formed over thousands of years), many believe that fossils can provide the similar healing power to that of a crystal.

Fossils indeed have their own place in the sphere of healing. And while they may have been formed with a type of crystal or rock, they are quite different tumbled stones and the other items you’ll find here at Crystalis.

Are There Pros and Cons to Tumbled Stones Versus Raw Crystals?

amethyst
pros and cons

Some people wonder whether there are benefits or drawbacks to using tumbled stones versus raw rocks or crystals, and some debate does exist. Some say that crystals contain more raw energy; others say that because tumbling is designed to smooth out imperfections, the energy in tumbled stones exists in a more pure form. However, most crystal users agree that both tumbled stones and raw crystals work to provide healing and energy, and that whether you choose one or the other is a simple matter of preference.

Choosing the Right Tumbled Stone & Crystals for You

So, which tumbled stone is best for you?

Perhaps rose quartz? Amethyst? Clear quartz crystal? Citrine? Smoky quartz? Or one of the many other forms of quartz?

Choosing the right tumbled stone or crystal can feel intimidating, but the process itself is entirely simple. The first thing to do is to figure out what you’re looking for out of your stones and crystals.

emotions

Which emotions do you struggle most with?

candle

Which strengths would you like to amplify?

anxiety

If you deal with anxiety on a daily basis, for example, you’ll likely want a tumbled stone or crystal that will help you manage those feelings, or that will help increase your feelings of calm.

confidence

If you’re angling for a promotion at work, you may want a tumbled stone or crystal that will increase your confidence.

energy and healing

See What Kind of Energy & Healing Each Tumbled Stone or Crystal Provides

Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for, do some research. Crystalis offers a thorough, helpful list of Crystal Properties containing detailed information about dozens of different types of crystal and stones. Take a look at the contents and choose a tumbled stone (or other items made from the same material, such as jewelry items and so one) that you think best fits your needs.

Tumbled, Polished, Natural & So Very Beautiful

If you’re still not sure which tumbled stone to choose, however, there’s also something to be said for simply following your intuition. Many proponents of healing crystals recommend running your hands over different types of crystals and waiting until one of them feels right. Oftentimes a particular type of polished stone will metaphorically jump out at you—whether it be a form of quartz, rock or crystal. If one does, that stone may be the right one for you.

What about unique shapes, such as stars? Some types of stones are available in shapes like stars, pyramids and cubes. Shungite, for example, is a protective stone that is sometimes available as stars. Stars and other shapes make great decorations and the unique angles of the stars add texture and dimension to the stone when you hold them in palm of your hand.

If you’re shopping for unique shapes like stars, keep in mind that these are usually not sold as tumbled stone. Stars and other are usually better as standalone stones for the purposes of healing, clearing your chakras, meditation and other uses.

Let Crystalis Guide You to the Right Stones & Crystals

crystals

Shop Tumbled Stone, Crystal Jewelry, Energy Healing Crystals, and More

Ready to compare your options? Whatever your interests or needs—whether you’re interested in home decor projects, spiritual protection, or even healing—tumbled stones can absolutely be a helpful, beautiful addition to your everyday life. Show now to compare the wide selection of gorgeous tumbled stones, crystals and numerous other items that we offer here at Crystalis.

You can shop and compare all of our items online, or visit us at our store in the Washington DC area where you can view in-stock items in person. If you need help, our experts are here for you. We’ll show you how tumbled stones can benefit you based on your goals, and we’ll show you the unique properties of each stone.

Be sure to also check out our customer reviews! Reviews on our product pages can be a great way to see how others are benefiting from their stones.

We’re positive that you’ll find a tumbled stone or crystal (or several) you’ll love! After you receive your stones, be sure to leave your own product reviews, so that you can help other customers find the right items for their needs.