Buffing platinum

[Ice Snoop]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post although I've been lurking on and off for almost a year now, coveting all those lovely rings. I am interested in people's views on buffing or polishing platinum. I had my platinum e ring buffed just before my wedding last May and though it generally came up beautifully, I think one of the sides of the setting (the radiant cut diamond is set in two sold squares of platinum and open on the other two sides - don't know the name for such a setting) is very slightly thinner now and also has a small line running along it. Does polising wear down the metal? How often do people buff their rings?

Thanks

Ice Snoop

ps I'd post a photo of my lovely radiant but I have no idea how to take a photo of it - any tips welcome!

 

[diamondlil]

I''ve been told that polishing platinum does not result in loss of metal and that it just moves it around.

I have had my rings for almost 1 year, and I just had them polished for the first time recently. I was debating on leaving them to patina the way platinum does over time, but when I took my rings in to be checked, I went ahead and had them polished. Boy what a difference that made. They look like brand new!!! There was one spot that came out rough, and the next time I was at the jeweler, I had him rebuff that area. All is fine now. I hope to be able to have them buffed every time I take them in for a check.

I suppose if they buffed too much, there could be some metal loss. I would definitely take your rings in and have them looked at again. If the one side is thinner, ask if it is possible to have platinum added to that side and then repolished.

 

[TheDoctor]

Metal loss is dependent on who does the work.
The quickest way to remove evidence of wear (scratches, dents) is to use abrasives(emery paper, rubber wheels) to level the surface, and this results in material loss. New material cannot be added to areas that become thinner without taking out the stones, and most jewellers won''t do this.
The best way to remove scratches is with a process called burnishing...using a polished steel tool to force the displaced metal back to where it was, then smoothing it out by stroking the area with a larger polised steel burnish tool. The metal is then hand-buffed with a very fine grit of emery, and polished with platinum polishing compounds. This takes more time, and can''t be done while you wait unless you have a couple of hours to kill.