How to polish selenite?
Looking after our selenite crystal is a common practice as the crystal can easily get damaged as it is a very soft crystal. Before treating and handling the crystal you must have a good understanding of the crystal itself. It is a fragile crystal and can easily break, the surface of the crystal is very soft and can easily get damaged. Extra caution is required while handling the crystal.
The crystal does not react well with water, this is only true for a long period of time. If you decide to treat the crystal using traditional methods might not be effective at all such as using chemicals or tumbling due to its fragility.
The main reason that someone other than the manufacturer of the crystal is to polish the crystal. They probably caused damage to the crystal itself. If there is a scratch on the crystal surface it can be removed by simply using fine grit sandpaper.
Simply gently rub the coarse sandpaper along the surface of the crystal, the scratch should come out in no time. Dispose of any of the selenite dust and try not to get it in your eyes. The process only should take a few minutes as the crystal is very soft. Some people will only use a wet cloth to treat the surface once finished.
After you have used the sandpaper to get rid of any damage to the surface of the crystal be sure not to clean the crystal in the sink or in the bathtub. Too much water can cause damage to the crystal.
Which polish to use
Many people will use toothpaste to treat the surface of a selenite crystal it helps give it a smooth polished surface. Simply place some toothpaste on a slightly wet cloth and move the cloth up and down the crystal doing it gently and lightly to avoid damage to the crystal. Then use a dry cloth to remove any moisture that might left over on the surface.
Using olive oil is a great way of polishing the surface of the crystal. Simply place some olive oil on a dry tissue. Gently rub the oil into the crystal, do this softly and gently. Don't use too much olive oil, if you find there is still plenty of oil on the surface of the crystal simply get a dry tissue and rub off any excess oil. Using olive oil is one of the best methods to polish your selenite crystal.
If you want to completely give your crystal a professional shiny outcome and the above methods have not worked for you. You could use nail buffer, which gives a beautiful polished finish to the crystal. Simply place a little nail buffer on a dry cloth and gently rub the chemical over the crystal. This chemical is a cheap solution for providing a beautiful polished finish to your selenite crystal.
If you can't get your hands on some nail buffer you can use normal house polish which works just as well for giving the crystal a beautiful polished surface. Simply spray some polish on the crystal and then gently rub the crystal with a dry cloth. Repeat this a few times until you have the desired polished surface.
Polishing selenite with a tumbler
Selenite tumbled stones are made with this process, small chunks of selenite are placed inside a tumbler, and it spins around for a few hours with water. This process is the easiest way of removing any minerals that might be trapped on the surface of the crystal. It also helps remove any roughed edges. The surface of the crystals comes out with a smoothed polished surface a very easy and efficient way of polishing your small selenite crystals quickly in volume.
However, it is not recommended to use larger pieces of selenite crystals in the tumbler as it is much more likely to break into smaller pieces.
Use water to polish
Some people might simply polish the surface of the crystal by simply placing the crystal in water for a few seconds and dry cleaning it with a cloth. Using water only for a short duration should not cause damage to the crystal.