The phrase "a certain refinement" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a quality or characteristic that is subtle or specific in nature, often in contexts related to taste, style, or behavior.
Example: "Her artwork displays a certain refinement that sets it apart from others in the gallery."
Alternatives: "a particular elegance" or "a specific sophistication."
"I demand a certain refinement," says my shirt.
"I would say there's a certain refinement process.
His language lacks, shall we say, a certain refinement, especially when his temper is on the rise.
Reverse snobbism, nostalgie de la boue, the aesthetic of upside down, is itself a product of a certain refinement of thinking, of, yes, bourgeois education.
The German instrument (with a tiny reed) survives in Russia; though capable of a certain refinement of tone, it lacks the piquancy and sparkle of the French oboe.
Along the way Ms. Callaway has let go of a certain refinement to tap into the physical reserves of her phenomenal voice, which rivals that of the young Cleo Laine in its flexibility, range and tonal palette.
Later, if especially gifted, an actor may bring to a role certain refinements of the tradition, which may be handed down to a succeeding generation.
His French diction may not be idiomatic, and his phrasing lacks a certain French refinement.
But he expressed confidence with a certain rural refinement: "This isn't my first time around the barn".
(3 6), constitutes our basic set of equations but still requires certain refinement: the driving mechanism for the flow is not defined, neither is there a mechanism to describe the dicrotic notch or the aortic valve.
Just because Mrs. Krantz hasn't mastered certain refinements of telling a story doesn't mean that her novel doesn't deserve our love just as much as "Anna Karenina" or "The Wings of the Dove". "I'll Take Manhattan" is a novel too.
