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.
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!)
