Processing Technology of "Muyu" Stone from Changqing, Shandong Province

"Muyu" stone is produced in Changqing district, Shandong Province. Its main mineral components are dolomite with a small amount of limonite. Because of its dim colour, weak luster and rough, the "Muyu" stone is now mostly used for making tea utensils, having no application in the gemstone industry. By trying different heat treatment and surface treatment schemes, the change in colour and surface characterstic of "Muyu" stone from Changqing were studied by using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, microscope and so on. This paper summarized a set of processing schemes which can make the "Muyu" stone brownish red with low roughness and high gloss.The results showed that "Muyu" stone is a kind of good potential gemstone resource.