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Matte, Satin or Frosted? A Jeweller's Guide to Blasting Media

Date: 19-10-2026

 

 

Here's the thing about blasting a finish: you can't undo it. Once that satin is on the shank, it's on. So picking the right media before you hit the pedal saves you a trip back to the polishing motor.

Micro sandblasting is one of the quickest ways to add contrast, texture and a premium matte look to a piece. The media you load decides almost everything about the result.

Glass bead – the satin all-rounder

Glass beads are round, so they dent the surface rather than cut it. You get a soft, even satin with next to no metal loss.

  • Best for: satin and brushed-look finishes, contrast panels, softening tool marks, light peening
  • Typical size: around 50 micron (fine)
  • Why jewellers love it: it's kind to thin walls and delicate settings, and you're not blasting your gold into the filter bag

Aluminium oxide – the workhorse

Aluminium oxide is hard and sharp, so it cuts. That gives a crisper, frosted matte than glass bead – and it removes material while it works.

  • Best for: frosted finishes, cleaning stubborn investment and oxide off castings, prepping surfaces before setting or plating
  • Typical sizes: 25–50 micron for fine jewellery finishes; 100 micron and up is aggressive for most bench work
  • Watch out: it takes metal with it. Keep passes short and light on precious work

Sodium bicarbonate – the gentle cleaner

Blasting soda shatters on impact, so it cleans without texturing the surface underneath. It's water soluble too, which makes clean-up easy.

  • Best for: lifting residue, light cleaning and coating removal where you don't want to change the finish
  • Note: use soda made for blasting, not the pantry stuff

Walnut shell – soft but effective

Crushed walnut shell is angular but soft. It's handy for gentle cleaning and buffing-style work on surfaces you don't want to mark.

A few rules from the bench

  • Mind the stones. Soft or porous gems – opal, pearl, turquoise, emerald, amber – don't belong anywhere near the blast stream. Mask them or blast before setting.
  • Test on scrap first. Same metal, same media, same pressure. Thirty seconds of testing beats a remake.
  • One tank per media. Mixing media contaminates your finish. If your blaster takes interchangeable tanks, dedicate one to each.
  • Don't refill from the collector. Spent media is mixed with metal fines. Bag it for your refiner instead – that dust is worth money (more in Post 4).

Find your media

AJS stocks sandblasting abrasives, micro sandblasters and Vaniman dust collection to match. Browse the full sandblasting range online or contact the team at your nearest branch – Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth.

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