There are many ways to finish jewelry. Different procedures and equipment result in different finishes, different operational costs, different finishing times, different gold loss factors etc. It is important to get an overall view of the different possibilities and, wherever practical, to experiment with different procedures. For a good perspective, see Shor's web page:
Recommended Grinding & Polishing Procedures. For refining of polishing dust, see the Shor web page on the
Simplicity Refining System.