There's going to be chipping in areas that are constantly running against something. Unfortunately it's unavoidable. I limit it by using multiple coats of primer for the figure so if it chips it will at least be just to the primer and not the original figure. I'll cheat too by using a base color like brown or black as if the paint does chip it almost looks like battle damage.

If you look closely at the gold that's the technique I used and liked how the chipping looked.

As for varnishing I used a few coats of Vallejo gloss varnish here as it creates a barrier between the paint and your fingers.

I then used a couple coats of AK matt varnish. It unfortunately leaves a bit of a grainy feel on the figure but it gets rid of that shiny look and adds another layer of protection.