"Sixteen Uses for Tumbled Rocks" - Ideas for Video Needed

This thread pains me a bit because when people ask me how many pounds of perfectly polished rocks I've accumulated, I don't want to answer and I don't want to know the answer. So all I usually say is "it's under a ton" because I'm confident that's correct. What the #@$L am I going to do with all these?

The old timer that taught me tumbling mentioned once something he hoped to make but he has never got around to it. He said he saw one once that impressed him. It was a coffee-table for which the top 2" or so was clear resin full of gorgeous polished rocks. Underneath some some kind of lighting system that caused a glow in the whole thing, because translucent rocks had been used. He said at night it was mesmerizing and cast a beautiful light in many directions in the room. He also remarked some business someday should build a long bar and the nighttime look would be spectacular.

I don't know how repeatable this would be, but I'll share something I saw a few years ago that stopped me in my tracks and caused me to think about attempting it. It was in another country, perhaps China. I was checking into a hotel. In the lobby, behind the employees was a huge wall art of rocks. It was perhaps 10x10'. The surface of this board or whatever it was, was totally covered with perfectly polished rocks, perhaps having been glued on. There was no pattern or artwork involved, it was just total rocks. They were not all the same size or shape, but they were similar and I would say about half-dollar coin size and not spherical but flatter. I stood there slack-jawed and speechless. Why? Not just from what I've already mentioned, but there was something else. Someone had gone to great lengths to sort them by color. From one corner to the opposite corner, from black to clear with all grades of colors and tones in between. It may not sound like this alone would constitute something beautiful, but it was stunning and one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen made of polished rocks.  There was no frame, and nothing was visible between the rocks.  Although there was no design, there were a few places where there were sort of swirls for fun probably.  Most of the rocks were pattern-less, and it appeared to be all opaque jaspers and such.  There were no blue regions of lapis or anything bright and colorful like that.

Those are a couple of really cool ideas, but probalby too complicated for what I had in mind for a video.

I have always wanted to make a coffee table with a removable glass top that I could place tumbled rocks into. With a removable top, I could change the rocks from time to time. I like this idea because it's not permanent. Someone else could put in small antiques or something instead of rocks. I was going to build a table like this, but my wife didn't like the idea, so that was the end of that.

I thought you were going to say you roll around in them for a minute!

This is a really great thread. It's so interesting to see all the creative ideas everyone has! I will definitely be trying some of them. I look forward to watching your video, Jugglerguy .
It's funny, but when people find out I tumble rocks, their FIRST QUESTION is "What do you do with them?" It always irks me because I want to say "Why do I have to DO anything with them?" By the time I'm finished polishing them, I've been DOING something with them for months!  
But, after I had been tumbling rocks for about a year, I did look around and think to myself "WHAT am I going to do with all these rocks??"  But I would never admit that to the people that asked me the same question! LOL

Just an update from the Craft Show this past weekend, Tumble polished stones including Pendant stones, magnets, heart shapes on small stands, polished slabs, made up almost 60% of my total sales. That was higher than in past Craft Shows. Will see how it plays out at the Craft Show in Dec.

In case anyone is considering doing Shows it can be a lot of work depending how much material you bring. In my case I load about 600-700 pounds, enough to fill about 20 linear feet of table with about 60% spare under the table. The whole "load the truck", "unload at the show", "setup at the show", "breakdown at the show", "load the truck", "unload the truck" takes about 6 hours in my case. Add in the 14 hours of sales for two days makes for a long weekend. I definitely earn my money. It had to be rocks!!!

Sure glad the heart surgeon patched me well!!

Funny you mention feathers, one of the Vendors at a Craft Show my wife and I were at in Gatlinburg was selling feathers with various scenes painted on them. Not sure what kind of feathers but except for any display apparatus you could have carried his whole stock in one hand!!

I have 2 suggestions based on a couple of ideas already mentioned. 
The first is creating a mosaic in the shape of a state our country.  I saw these this summer at a sidewalk sale.  They were about 12-18 inches tall.  I was thinking of making a similar one in the shape of Michigan with the rocks I have found in Michigan and one in the shape of Arizona with rocks I found there.  




I also saw this REALLY large mosaic example at the Grand Rapids Art Prize this summer.  What is cool about it is the rocks have been placed where they were found.  Notice the lightning stone at the SW lower peninsula on Lake Michigan side.  




2nd suggestion is to encase the rocks in resin and make drink coasters.  I am thinking of trying this soon. 

Hope this helps.

A long time ago in my professional office, my employee got the idea of having a bowl of wrapped hard candy in a classy crystal bowl with a sign that said "Take One!". This was placed not only for clients, but for visitors, UPS delivery guys, anyone really that came into the office. It became VERY POPULAR. About 1.5 years later, my employee confessed to needing to discontinue it. He had gained about 12lbs because he could not resist, but he told me of all the smiles this bowl produced. Apparently, one delivery guy admitted to breaking up deliveries into several trips into the office just to not be so obvious how often he was getting a piece of candy.

I have wondered about recreating this bowl and sign except with pretty tumbled rocks. Of course, that means having to part with my babies.

Jugglerguy thanks for doing this thread…. And thanks to all the posters. I’m not a tumbler, but glad many are.