How to Refresh Worn-Out Gemstones in Your Jewelry Collection

For weeks now, I've contemplated buying a ring on eBay that features a giant green spinel—it's an absolute dream (see it below). But the gemstone is chipped and a little worn-looking. I'm not sure I care so much; I love a vintage look in jewelry (and jeans jackets!). But I've always wondered how much refreshing a gemstone might cost, and what it entails.

Which is why I reached out to David Nassi, a professional lapidary (a specialist who cuts and facets gemstones) who chronicles his work on Instagram, to detail our options for refreshing gemstones that have lived.

Green spinel ring
Green spinel ring currently on eBay

CLEANING

"I'd say there are a few options," he wrote in a DM. "If the wearer isn't cleaning their jewels frequently, build up on the pavilion [the lower half of the faceted stone] will cause dulling, so cleaning is the most important, and easiest."

POLISHING

But if the stone is worn heavily and has abrasions, "re-polishing would be the next answer." A reputable lapidary is the only person you'd want to trust with this job, which Nassi says can run between $100-$500, "depending on size, material, and extent of wear." The word "polishing" may sound minor to you, but in jewelry, polishing is an artform and a science, and goes way beyond rubbing an item with a soft cloth.  

Stone polishing buffs the surface of a stone to remove scratches, and happens in prescribed stages. For my would-be green spinel ring, this is the service I'd choose. 

RE-CUTTING

Finally, if the gemstone "was poorly cut from the beginning and needs a recutting of facet structure," you would be looking to spend from $200 to $1,000 or upwards, Nassi shares. Because of the cost of re-cutting, you would likely reserve this option for valuable or deeply sentimental gemstones—not so much your eBay finds (though in gemstones exceptions abound!)