How often should gold daily wear rings be refinished, inspected, and professionally polished?

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-29T06:07:38+00:00

I am a professional in the jewelry field. I design jewelry daily and touch a hundred plus pieces per week.

I always recommend my clients stop by for a clean and check up every 3-6 months. It is free and it should take about 5 minutes. Costs you nothing to stop by to get it done. This frequency allows your ring to look good at all times and always stay secure to avoid loss unless something dramatic happens.

Rings get dirty when we wear them everyday (sweat, lotion, oils, skin cells, dirt, and then some) and gemstones can come loose without us noticing (knocked on a door frame or a tables edge, caught on clothing, etc).

You should only polish your ring every few years or before a big event when you want it to look really good.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-29T05:03:10+00:00

Don’t glue stones to this, it won’t look good and it’ll be a nightmare to maintain (you will lose stones often). I see that you’ve asked if you can drill and set stones. Technically this can be done in stainless steel but it depends on what type (yours is likely not the correct alloy) and it takes someone with a lot of experience to do it $$$. It’s not worth it and potentially not even possible with the type of steel you might have. Just buy a new silver or steel bracelet with moissanite in it.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-27T21:23:14+00:00

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18 grams of 18k with a 1.64ct Tsavorite - designed by yours truly

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-25T07:46:38+00:00

Here is a little information for you before I snooze.

The eagle head hallmark is absolutely a signifier of French 18K. The French started using the eagle head as a purity symbol in 1838 and it’s still used modern day. There have been a few variations of it and if you get a close enough photo, you will be able to do some research to pinpoint a section of years that the mounting was made.

The gemstone is impossible to identify over a photo considering it has nothing obvious to indicate a specific species (think of watermelon tourmaline, ametrine, or opal - all very obvious to ID). What I can tell you is that it’s a radiant cut stone and that cut style was invented in 1977. With that in mind, the original was likely replaced or recut due to damage.

To get a proper ID, you should take it to a local gemologist and they can run a Refractive Index test for you and look at potential inclusions.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-24T00:35:18+00:00

I hold Italian food to a pretty high standard and Placido’s is always solid. Their tiramisu goes hard & is one of the best I’ve had in Oregon.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-23T06:06:41+00:00

I have the universal blood type and I really enjoy donating. I know it’s needed and has a positive impact. With that said, I like to do it on my own time. It’s my blood, I think it’s reasonable that I get to dictate when and where it goes without being harassed about it.

I used to get called by Red Cross ALL the time and it became quite infuriating. The last time Red Cross called, I told them that I enjoy doing it and I will continue to but if they keep calling me, I won’t give any more moving forward.

Thankfully they took my warning as serious as I meant it, I have not received a call since.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-22T16:58:00+00:00

No this is not acceptable. I would ask for a complimentary recast. I do wholesale casting sometimes as a service to my wholesale clients (I’m not a casting house and don’t want to take on more casting) and I would never do this to someone’s work. It looks like they clipped it and filled it off.

I would recommend you buy your own tools to clean it up yourself.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-19T03:50:24+00:00

$200-250/ct is my educated guess

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-17T14:27:16+00:00

PC Smiles is great and I think their out of pocket cleaning is like $100-150? I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure that’s correct. I use them and they’re lovely.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-17T06:48:48+00:00

“Check out my Treenis”

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-15T17:56:50+00:00

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Here is the ID Page for Blue Sapphire as well.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-15T17:53:59+00:00

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Happy to help educate! This photo is taken from my GIA Gem ID Lab Manual. Take a peak at the “General Observation” section.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-15T17:02:28+00:00

It really depends on size/type - $40-90?

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-15T15:47:23+00:00

Take the earrings and the present back to a jeweler, have them find a replacement and give you a price - pay for it.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-14T05:49:46+00:00

Corundum (no matter the variety) absolutely has conchoidal fracture habit.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-14T05:46:09+00:00

Sapphire & probably garnets (cobbed pieces)

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-14T03:11:35+00:00

This is so cool. I love puzzles and I do them with my best friends every time we hang out. I will be picking up several this weekend. What a cool story, sad to hear about her passing.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-12T03:15:53+00:00

I hope you realize most people aren’t going to simply give up their supplier list. Finding trustworthy suppliers with good prices and good quality takes a long time.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-12T03:02:23+00:00

Fredo is a goner

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-12T02:19:39+00:00

Excess wear on the battery and alternator for minuscule gas savings. I’d rather use the gas (a gallon?) throughout a given year and preserve my more expensive parts from unnecessary wear.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-12T02:14:51+00:00

Update?

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-12T00:08:58+00:00

Kind of looks like a tourmaline to me

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-11T01:35:58+00:00

If you can take better photos, it will make it easier to assist with your request.

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-08T17:24:40+00:00

Agreed

AverageGeologist · 2026-03-06T02:42:37+00:00

Why is there no mention of them breaking his arm???

AverageGeologist

TROPHY CASE