Like an Iceberg to the Titanic, Thin Ring Shanks Spell Trouble For You

Whether it’s a pinched finger with a little blood, because of a crack on the bottom of your ring, or a big chunk just broke away, it’s never good when your ring falls apart.

What is a Too-Thin ShankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger.?

Some rings are too thin in the shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger., the part that goes around your finger from middle to the bottom.

Dangerously Thin ShankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger.

The problem with thin and narrow shanks is they break, bend, and crack more easily and rapidly than thicker ones. The crownThe crown on a ring is the top portion displaying most of the designDesigning jewelry starts with a drawing of an idea. Next, a hand-carved or 3D CAD (computer aided design) wax model of the drawing is fabricated. After the wax model is completed, the piece is cast in medal. elements. A crown is also the upper part of a gemstone. portion, or top part of the ring with the designDesigning jewelry starts with a drawing of an idea. Next, a hand-carved or 3D CAD (computer aided design) wax model of the drawing is fabricated. After the wax model is completed, the piece is cast in medal. and gemstones, needs the support of the shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger..

BandTypically, bands are simple rings of uniform width. They can be thick or thin. Occasionally, gemstones will be flush set in bands. Aid Repair

This plain signet ring (pictured), was allowed to get so thin, because there were no gemstones on top to fall out. So the owner of it just kept getting it re shaped as round.

That’s what I call a bandTypically, bands are simple rings of uniform width. They can be thick or thin. Occasionally, gemstones will be flush set in bands.-aid repairA BandTypically, bands are simple rings of uniform width. They can be thick or thin. Occasionally, gemstones will be flush set in bands.-Aid repair is a repair done to a poorly made piece of jewelry. BandTypically, bands are simple rings of uniform width. They can be thick or thin. Occasionally, gemstones will be flush set in bands. aid repairs can’t be guaranteed to last.. It fixes it, sort of. It’ll just go out of shape on you again, fairly quickly. And crack at any time.

Sharon’s Dropping Diamonds -The Real World Example

Sharon had a channel set style ring made for her inherited antique diamonds. Not by me. Unfortunately she’d been losing one diamond a year for about three years.

She was especially upset because they were sentimental antique diamonds and the new modern-cut ones the Jeweler set made her older ones look a bit dull.

A happy client of mine introduced us, saying I was her “Bestest Santa Barbara Jewelry Repair and DesignDesigning jewelry starts with a drawing of an idea. Next, a hand-carved or 3D CAD (computer aided design) wax model of the drawing is fabricated. After the wax model is completed, the piece is cast in medal. Person.” I’ll cop to that!

Sharon showed me her noticably thin shanked ring. I pointed out that it allowed the upper part of the ring to bend, and the settings to open up a bit under stress.

This would explain the dropped diamonds. I could see that two of her channels had been re-built, but the real problem remained. I said we needed to support the channels with a wider and thicker shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger.. We needed to do a re-shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger. job.

What Thicker Shanks Do

Thicker shanks are stronger and provide better support for the crownThe crown on a ring is the top portion displaying most of the designDesigning jewelry starts with a drawing of an idea. Next, a hand-carved or 3D CAD (computer aided design) wax model of the drawing is fabricated. After the wax model is completed, the piece is cast in medal. elements. A crown is also the upper part of a gemstone. – the top part – of the ring.  Thicker shanks don’t bend like thin ones.  They hold the shape of the ring, like the foundation holds the parts of a building together.

Thick Shanked Ring

Re-Shanking Your Thin or Cracked ShankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger.

Re-Shanking rings is a relatively straightforward process.   The old thin shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger. is cut away with a saw and a new, thicker and wider section is custom made and soldered into its place.

Take out the old.  Put in the new! This is such a satisfying repair job to do. It makes such a difference to the ring and adds to it longer life.

Sharon’s Happy Result

We re-shanked Sharon’s antique diamond channel-set ring three years ago. We also replaced the new blingy diamonds with older Antique diamonds to match her original ones.

She’s worn it daily and all the diamonds are still in their settings! This was a much less expensive solution than she had anticipated. She was referred to me because she had been planning to make a new diamond ring to replace her diamond-dropping ring.

Do it Before it Breaks

A thinner shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger. weakens your ring and opens the door to cracking and weakness developing throughout your ring. Don’t wait till a gemstone falls out, or your ring bends like a pretzel. Look at it; think about your lifestyle, if you’re active you may need a thicker shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger. than your Grandmother. No maybes about it!

If your ring shankThe shank is the bottom part of a ring that rests underneath the finger. Shanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are important factors in how rings sit on the finger. is too thin, get it fixed before it gets you into trouble. Getting pinched by your cracked ring or trapped in your bent-out-of-shape ring is no laughing matter.

Re-Shanking Can Give New Life to Your Older Ring

Many a cracked, bent, broken and sawed-off ring have I saved, with re-shanking. It remains one of my favorite repair jobs to this day. Do you have a candidate for re-shanking gathering dust in your jewelry box?

See my re-shanking video:

Calla Gold
www.callagold.com