Flush setting - Clean-up question

[Nick martin]

Good evening all,

Currently working on a ring where I'm flush setting multiple stones ( Rubies & Sapphires ).

I chose these specific stones for their colours and because of their hardness.

Question I have, is how does everyone go about cleaning up the outside of the metal once the stones have been set?

At present I cut the seat, work through my buff sticks and do a polish. However.. if I make a minor slip and gently scratch the surrounding surface, will using various grades of buff stick to polish out the scratch do any damage to hard stones such as these?

Would I be best off using a stiff bristle brush and Tripoli instead?

Cheers,

Nick