What does polishing a ring mean?

Following.

My jewler has a machine that polishes mine in 3 minutes. They must do it the old fashion way!

From my understanding, polishing a ring makes it look completely brand new again. Even though you clean your ring yourself, a polisher can really bring out the shine. I know whenever I get my ring polished it sparkles even more than I'm used to, and I'm always blown away with how much it's dimmed between cleanings!

I'd do it once before the wedding so it looks extra shiny on the day, but I don't think it's horribly important, if you'd rather skip it.

Cleaning removes dirt/grime/oil and polishing makes it shine as if it was brand new. I'd say for your wedding it's worth getting it cleaned and polished because of all the photos that will be taken with it. Just because there aren't scratches you can see, there's a lot of daily wear and tear that can cause tiny scratches that makes it look duller.

I have a platinum ring and I get it polished every few months. My jeweler cleans it very well and it looks brand new when I get it back. I recommend doing it, especially if you have platinum and it's free!

My jeweler takes a day or two to do my ring as well. The polish cleans all areas that a machine not be able to get and they check your ring for any loose stones, breakage, or any signs for maintenance you may need in the future.

I would get it done, but my jeweler does NOT take over a day.

Jewelers have special tools that can really get it shiny that you can't do at home. It will basically buff the metal and use a special pumice to bring out the shine. I used to do this in metals class and it just made everything so much shinier. I miss having access to those tools lol.

Sharing the response I received from my jeweler:

Usually, an engagement ring does not need polishing. Just a good ultrasonic cleaning and then steaming. Your wedding band (since you have not been wearing it yet) the same.
Polishing is not usually needed until after years of wear(or rugged activity ).

He sure knows how to ease my worried mind! I am going to see him for the cleaning and inspection but think I can skip the polishing for now.

View Quoted Comment If you have a band or setting with pavé, an ultrasonic cleaner is not recommended!

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Thank you. I do not have a pave setting. I have a platinum diamond solitaire and the wedding band is a shared prong diamond eternity band. I'll discuss ultrasonic cleaner on the wedding band with my jeweler when I see him this weekend.