French, German, Italian, Portugese and Spanish speakers click here . A brilliant polish is the last and one of the most important steps in finishing a piece of fine jewelry. A high polish dazzles the eye and creates desire. One would think that this is automatic, but it is frequently neglected. The truth is that obtaining a high polish requires a fair amount of work.
Compromises are often in order.
If you are creating a piece of jewelry for competition, you need to take the time to finish every detail. The same holds true if your jewel holds very expensive gems. On less expensive pieces, finishing every little detail can be too time consuming to justify the labor. For example, if you were putting a pair of amethyst into basket earring settings, it may not be worth polishing between every wire. Unfortunately, some jewelers get down right lazy when it comes to finishing their jewelry.