Editing Lapidary (section)

===Polishing===
Most modern lapidary work is done using motorized equipment. Polishing is done with resin- or metal-bonded [[Emery (mineral)|emery]], [[silicon carbide]] (carborundum), [[aluminium oxide]] ([[corundum]]), or diamond dust in successively decreasing particle sizes until a polish is achieved. In older systems, the grinding and polishing powders were applied separately to the grinding or buffing wheel. Often, the final polish will use a different medium such as [[tin oxide]] or [[cerium(IV) oxide]].

The initial shaping and facet placement may be done using laps with grits of 220, 600, 1200. The polishing step, however, requires grits of a much higher grade, such as 8,000, 14,000, 50,000 and even 100,000. This grit is also embedded into a metal lap, but sometimes applied manually to the lap during polishing.