• Beginner Questions

  Cloudy Scratches

  Posted by avonaha on July 2, 2025 at 7:48 pm

  <strong data-start=”131″ data-end=”178″>Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing great.

  I’m a beginner faceter, and I’m really trying to figure out how everything works. I’m working with cubic zirconia, and right now the main problem I’m running into is that at the end of my polish, the stone has a mirrored look, but there are still visible lap lines on the surface, and I’m not sure how to get rid of them. It also leaves very faint scratches—you can hardly see them, but I’d like the surface to be completely clean and polished.

  I’m using a Vevor faceting machine, TechDiamondTools lubricant, and a pump setup with a mix of distilled water and natural organic oil. To start, I use a 600 grit diamond topper with the water/oil mix to get the rough cut. I apply light to medium pressure to create larger facets.

  Then I move on to a Zinc Plus lap from Gearloose, charged with 5000 grit diamond compound paste and TDT lubricant. I use light pressure to try and remove the scratches. After that, I move to the Darkside lap from Gearloose with 50k diamond compound paste for polishing. By the end of the process, the stone either looks cloudy or has tiny polish lines that aren’t very noticeable—but at certain angles, you can see them.

  I’d really appreciate any advice on what I might be doing wrong, or whether I should be changing up any part of my process or materials. I’m kind of stuck right now. Thanks so much in advance!

  avonaha replied 1 year, 2 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
• 0 Replies

Log In to Reply