I will begin by explaining, in Cliff notes, what I think jeweling/burnishing means, since it is not something you hear much about in detailing today. It is the ultra-micro finishing/polishing of a vehicle`s surface to a "jewel-like" finish. In times past, this was done to show cars or the "discriminating" obsessive-compulsive vehicle owner who wanted the absolute perfect 10/10th`s look to their car. This is an extension of the (very) old hand-rubbed lacquer-look of long ago.

My question stems from a sticky-thread about this subject from 2010. Please see:
\Some conversation between Kevin Brown and Barry Theal


If you`ve taken the time to read at least the first "highly technical" entries of this thread, (and yes, I even replied with my own entry much later on in the thread), I am wondering if jeweling/burnishing is being done these days and if so, how it is done? Are the new polishes, like CarPro`s Essense or Meg`s M205 and distilled water mixes are being used, or if old favorites like Menzerna 3800 (formerly SF 4000) or 3M`s Ultra-Fina still preferred?
And how do newer long-throw dual-action (LT-DA) machine polishers enter in to doing this, if at all, OR is it still best done by a rotary and soft pad? Are there new pad formulations/types that lend themselves to jeweling?

Is jeweling/burnishing worth it, or have newer machine polishers, polish abrasive/chemical formulations, and pad types and their application techniques "obsoleted" the need to jewel/ burnish a vehicle`s clear-coat/paint?

I would just like to get my fellow Autopians opinions and thoughts about this "not-mentioned-much-anymore" subject?