Yes, Tumbling CAN be a good solution, especially for those intricate pieces where polishing by hand can be difficult. This is how I see it: if the tumbling ruins the piece, then it means that it was not well built in the first place and would probably break in the hands of the user.
So tumbling serves as a "testing" area for pieces too!
Eni

I do fabrication and this is what I do when I have pearls or other fragile stones. First (this is with any set item) I do as much polishing before the stone is set, sometimes this involves tumbling with ss shot but usually I polish with 3M radial bristle disks in a flexshaft or 3M micron polishing papers by hand. If I have to do polishing near a set stone, I protect it with masking tape and do hand polishing with micron polishing papers.
HTH

I actually tumble everything with semi precious stones, freshwater pearls and swarovski crystals. EXCEPT for turquoise. I have even tumbled mother of pearl in a finished piece with good results. I use a rotary tumbler. I have only ever once had a piece ruined - and that was with dyed frewahwater pearls which lost most of their colour.