Retipping

A bench jeweler once complained to us that whenever she used firecoat on a ruby or sapphire during retipping, an unremovable film formed on the stone's surface.

Avoid Chips or Breaks and when you get your stone back from the Jeweler (Sizing, Setting, Retipping or Polishing) double check the Girdle under a microscope before you leave the Jewelry Store. Make sure it wasn't damaged in the repair process.

I've seen several stones that required repolishing after a benchworker allowed a torch to linger too long, especially when retipping platinum prongs (because of platinum's high melting point).

See also: Setting, Polishing, Jewelry, Jewel, Make