This lap is ESSENTIAL FOR EMERALD – especially for repairing emeralds, to insure you don’t load the cracks with hydrocarbons that will cause the stone to return an “oiled” lab report. Chromium will polish damn near any gem material, making this a bail-out lap for troublesome stones that are just refusing to polish any other way.
Protips:
The main mistake people make when polishing with oxides is using too much water – which is a catalyst, and should NOT function as (or be used like) a “lubricant” or “coolant” when polishing with oxides. Best results with oxide polishes, including oxide-embedded laps, is to use a fine mist of distilled water over the lap and NOT a drip.
This lap is polymer material that can, with pressure and speed, cause heat to build very rapidly. This can melt your dop wax, or release your CA or even epoxy, causing your stone to shift or even to fall off the dop. Keep one finger in contact with the stone at all times to monitor for heat build-up – and moderate your speed and pressure.
