The process of making a stone guitar pick

Here is what the picks start out as. The large rough rocks are inspected for the best places to cut. I usually slice the stones a few Millimeters thicker the what I want for the end results. by the time I grind and polish away the scratches and saw marks I end up with the proper thickness in the end. They range in thickness from 1-5 mm depending on the application and sounds desired.

Here is a shot of the slices, They are shown wet to see the colors and detail better, this is when the outline of the pick is scribed on to the surface for a guide when shaping the pick.

I usually leave a few mils that way as I work through the different grits i end up with the proper size and shape. I keep a plastic one near by for reference. Once the shape has been ground you can start on the thickness. Work both sides good to be sure to get all the saw marks out. work it thru the first 3 grits of diamond wheel. smoothing and flattening it as you go.
rounding and beveling the edge is started here but refined on the finer grits.
The next three wheels are considered the polishing stages.

This is where the stone starts to take on it's hidden beauty. the last three grits are 600 grit, 1,200 grit, and 3,000 grit. they also receive a finial polish on a canvas wheel with 14,000 grit diamond paste. Some of the softer Stones need a finer polishing step of 50,000 grit. For most the 14,000 is sufficient. Now you have super shinny stone pick.

This is my main grinding and polishing machine. It has 6 diamond wheels, from left to right they are 80 grit, 18o grit, 360 grit, 600 grit, 12,000 grit and 14,000 grit. Fresh water fed to keep the wheels clean and cool ( stone too). I use a wet saw with a diamond blade to slice the large rocks down to pick size.

This is a quick pictorial on how stone guitar picks are crafted.
I would say the it takes about 4 hours start to finish to produce one pick. The best part is I get to test each one by play with it for a bit. Thanks for lookin !!!!
Steve

The Basics on Stone Guitar Picks

These picks start out as big chunks of raw rock from a variety of different stones/gemstones, including agate, jade, tiger's eye, Jasper and many others. They are sliced close to the desired thickness. Then Each pick is ground on diamond abrasive wheels to the desired shape and thickness, and then polished to a super smooth finish. The edges are beveled and polished to produce a smooth clean playing edge. Some stone picks also have grips etched into them to help keep them in place.

HOW DO THEY COMPARE TO PLASTIC ONES??
On average, stone picks are more durable than the plastic ones. The average plastic pick begins to wear out quickly with repeated use, the sounds gets quieter and you can hear a definite change in the tone.I would sometimes go through a plastic pick in less then a month. Stone picks do not wear out, soften, or fray at the edges, so the quality of the sound stays the same throughout the life of the pick. But durable does not mean indestructible, and it is possible to chip or crack a stone pick if you drop it or manage to brake a thinner gauge pick. Thou it is stronger than glass, you should treat a stone pick with the same kind of care. If you do, it can last a life time.
I always keep my picks in a protective case. The thinnest gauge picks can snap, so don't put them in your back pocket when you sit down they can break. Be careful not to drop the pick on a hard surface because it is possible to chip or crack it.
So with that said the stone picks are actually cheaper then the plastic ones in the long run. for what you would spend on the plstic ones over a years time could get you a couple of stone ones each year.

Helpful Info about stone guitar pick

The idea of using stone guitar picks might seem a bit impractical, but the truth is these picks can produce great sound and last nearly forever.

More than anything, players choose their picks based on the sound and volume that results from those picks. Since plastic picks are softer than steel strings, they absorb a little sound each time they hit the string. This mutes the tone slightly, so you never hear the full resonance of the note. Pair a plastic pick with nylon strings and you get a little more muting.
Since , Stone picks are harder than the strings they strike, they don't absorb any of the sound so you hear the full rich true sounds of the note.
check back soon for more updates on custom stone and crystal guitar picks