Pre-finishing, Polishing and Buffing

Buffing: Using a variety of wheels and compounds to remove ultra-fine scratches gradually, and obtain a superior bright-white, high-platinum lustre

Tool marks are removed during pre-finishing. When pre-finished, the piece has very fine surface scratches, which will be removed by polishing.

The final quality achieved by platinum polishing and buffing is only possible with proper burnishing and pre-finishing. If a platinum piece has been poorly burnished and pre-finished, a bright-white, high-platinum lustre cannot be achieved.

The quality achieved by platinum polishing and buffing is only possible with proper burnishing and pre-finishing. If a platinum piece has been poorly burnished and pre-finished, it is impossible to achieve a bright-white, high-platinum lustre. 

Platinum compounds are evenly blended and adhere well to buffs, brushes and felt attachments. The abrasive grades of platinum compounds range from 800 to 8000.

Not shown, but also used for polishing platinum, are hard felt wheels known as laps or split laps. Laps are commonly used for polishing crisp edges and flat surfaces.

The 800 grade polishing compound is almost twice as coarse as the 1500 grade compound. Because of this, isolate the compound and the wheels.

Polishing wheels are available in a wide assortment of styles and sizes. As a general rule, the larger the wheel, the faster its speed at the contact point.

For platinum polishing, stitched and treated buffs are most effective. Unstitched buffs are too soft and will round all edges. Their softness cannot create the necessary pressure and friction at the contact point, so polishing will take longer.

Polishing at the bench can be quick and efficient: Generally, larger wheels are faster, but small jobs like ring sizing can be polished at the bench

For polishing at the bench, keep a small polishing and buffing compound and wheel attachment kit handy. Make sure that all compounds are labelled and multiple wheels and laps are available to prevent cross-contamination.

Polishing inside the setting will make it easier to clean away debris that accumulates during normal wear, and will also create a brighter and whiter appearance under the centre diamond

Buffing, when done after proper pre-finishing and polishing, will brighten platinum jewellery and give it the unmistakable bright white lustre

No shaping, tool mark removal or refinement of deep scratches is possible through buffing – only the removal of ultra-fine scratches and the creation of a high lustre. As is the case with pre-finishing and polishing, cross-directional buffing will yield the best results.