The term polished can refer to the final lustrous state of a piece of jewelry resulting from machine buffing with pumice, tripoli and rouge. A piece of jewelry is said to be polished when it is shiny and reflective.

Polished is a term also applied to gemstones. After cutting a gem to its desired proportions, a final polishing process is performed to bring out the highest possible luster in the stone. This is done by placing the facets or cabochon against a rotating wheel infused with various compounds.