What can you do with tumbled stones?
Lots of people enjoy tumbled stones. Some simply like to own them. Others love to wear them. Many people make things from them.
Some put them on display. A few people carry them for good luck! Smart people give them away because they know
that good things will come back to them.
What will you do with yours? Here is a big list of fun, interesting and beautiful uses for tumbled stones. We think
that the best uses are those that share the stones with other people.
 | Lucky Stones! Lots of people carry one or more tumbled stones in their pocket or purse as a token of good luck.
Pick one of your favorite stones and try it. You might be surprised by the good things that happen for you. Large stones work best! :-) |
| If you have a large potted plant or a planter you can give it a ground cover of tumbled stones. This protective cover can prevent erosion when the plant is watered and reduce the amount of water that is lost through evaporation. Most tumbled stones weight about 0.068 pounds per cubic inch. So, you will need about 2 pounds to cover a 12" x 12" planter with a thin layer of stones about 1/4" deep. A round, 5" diameter pot will require about 1/3 pound of stones for a 1/4" deep covering. Small stones work best. Undyed stones are recommened for use in planters. |
| This is our hematite bug. You can create an enormous zoo of "critters" from tumbled stones using wiggle eyes, bits of cloth, wire, string and other small items. Your only limit is your imagination. |
| Ornaments and Decorations |
| We used some brightly-colored tumbled stones, a little tinsel and a ribbon to trim this Christmas tree ornament. The tumbled stones remind us of the old-fashioned Christmas bulbs! Many craft stores sell plain wooden ornaments that you can paint and decorate yourself! |
| Next time you give a birthday or Christmas gift to a rockhound, consider dressing up the package with some of his/her favorite tumbled stones. They are easy to attach to the package with tape or adhesive putty. |
| A Big Bowl of Tumbled Stones! |
| A big bowl (or even a small bowl) of tumbled stones can make a great centerpiece for a table, an accent on a shelf or a conversation piece on your desk. They will attract people's attention in a positive way. Allow everyone who admires them an opportunity to pick a few stones to take home. They will come back to visit again (to get more stones!) and think pleasant thoughts of you every time they see the stones. Medium and large stones work best. Wooden bowls work best. They don't make as much noise when you pour in the stones or search through them. |
| Reinforce good performance with clear praise and a small token of recognition. We know a few teachers who give students a brightly polished stone when they do good work. Some allow the student to select a pretty stone from a bowl or give a random stone and encourage students to show and trade. Medium stones work great if you have a small budget. Larger stones can be used for an extra special reward. :-) |
| Tumbled stones look great in a fish tank. Small stones make a colorful ground cover and large stones can be interesting boulders for your fish to explore. It's best to use natural (undyed) stones in a fish tank. Small amounts of dye could dissolve into the water of your tank and irritate your fish. :-( |
| Lots of people love candles and display them in a bowl or on a glass tray. Scatter a few tumbled stones around the candle for an interesting and colorful decoration. |
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 | Tumbled stones make great vase fillers. They can support the stems of fresh or silk flowers and weight the bottom of the vase. We have an entire page of vase filler ideas. |
 | Place a couple of brightly-polished stones in a potted plant. This potted succulent has a ground cover of small white moonstone and large accent pieces of Botswana agate, banded amethyst and jasper. |
 | Few things are more satisfying than making a gift from some brightly polished stones that you tumbled yourself. Tumbled stones can easily be made into keychains, earrings, tie tacks, necklaces, pendants and many other jewelry items using inexpensive findings. |
| A Colorful Jar of Stones! |
 | Clear glass containers filled with brightly-colored tumbled stones make great decorations and gifts. Wow! |
 | This one is really fun. Hide a few stones under the sand in your sandbox and allow young treasure hunters an opportunity to look for them. This is a fun activity for a party or picnic. |
| If you play board games, use tumbled stones as markers. They make great "Bingo Stones". Use them for tic-tac-toe! Or, use them to keep score! The winner gets to keep 'em. |
| We painted a small wooden star, then decorated one side with a few tumbled stones and glued a magnet to the other side. This makes a great magnet for use on a refrigerator or file cabinet. You can also glue a large tumbled stone directly to the magnet! A great craft project for kids. :-) |
| We painted a small wooden disk, then decorated the front with tumbled stones to look like a pumpkin face and glued a safety pin to the back. This makes a great pin to wear for Halloween! You can make pins like these for any occasion. If you have a stone with a flat side you can glue the pin directly to the stone! This is a fun craft project for kids. :-) |
| Tumbled stones work great for a variety of educational activities. Students can describe tumbled stones, identify them, classify them and sort them. Tumbled stones also work great for counting and math activities. Give small groups of students a small collection of tumbled stones and you will see that they start observing, describing, comparing and debating without any cues from you! |
| Rock and Mineral Collections |
| Lots of people who collect rocks and minerals add tumbled stones to their collections. Hematite, lepidolite, malachite, rhodonite, amazonite, prehnite, and quartz are minerals. Obsidian, lapis, unakite, and mookaite are rocks. If you visit a major museum their rock and mineral collection always includes an exhibit of beautiful gemstones. Check out our tumbled stone identification guide. |
| Some people believe that placing certain types of rocks, minerals or gemstones on parts of the body that are suffering will result in a healing effect. This practice has been followed by many cultures throughout recorded history. Although there is no scientific evidence to support this practice beyond a placebo effect, many people today continue to seek out certain types of gems for their "healing properties." Many medical experts warn that the use of these methods can cause people to delay seeking proper treatment and result in serious illness or even death. |
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