Actually, you can quick save after he gives you the 'repaired' armour, but before opening your inventory and running your cursor over it.
If something is put directly into your inventory, it must be moved for the properties to be set, unlike things on the ground or in a container. I saved the game after Verlat gave me a ring in Verdistis, then re-loaded a couple times to see if I could get something better. After deciding the first one was best, I re-loaded that save only to find the stats were not the same as when I saved.
