Rock Tumbler Running Continuously Since 2019 Produces 'Absolutely Identical' Rocks

Amateur lapidary enthusiast Carl Agate has been running the same batch of rocks in his tumbler continuously since November 2019, producing stones that independent observers describe as 'indistinguishable from their state three years ago' but which Carl insists 'aren't quite there yet.' 'You can still feel a slight texture on the jasper,' Carl said, holding up a stone that appeared, to the untrained eye, to be perfectly smooth. 'Run your finger along the edge. Feel that? That microscopic roughness? That's another six months at minimum.' Carl's wife, Denise, confirmed that the tumbler has been running in their garage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for over six years, at an estimated electricity cost of $1,400. 'It sounds like a washing machine full of gravel,' she said. 'Because that is exactly what it is. It runs while we sleep. It runs while we eat. It ran through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and our anniversary. The rocks were not smooth enough for any of those occasions.' The batch consists of twelve agates, eight jaspers, and a piece of obsidian that Carl added 'for variety.' He has progressed through coarse grit, medium grit, and fine grit stages, but repeatedly returns to earlier stages when he detects imperfections invisible to everyone else. 'I thought I was done with the 220 grit in 2021,' Carl explained. 'Then I noticed a pit on the third agate. Back to the beginning. You can't skip steps. The rocks know.' Professional lapidaries have noted that a typical tumbling cycle takes four to six weeks. Carl's six-year timeline places him approximately 52 standard cycles beyond the norm. 'At this point, the rocks are technically being eroded, not polished,' said gemologist Dr. Patricia Luster. 'He started with rocks. He's going to end up with sand.' Carl acknowledged the risk but maintained his standards. 'When they're perfect, I'll know. And they're not perfect yet. The jasper told me so.'