This Ring is Not Critically Thin at the Base
When your finger feels pinched, it’s probably because your ring has cracked.
My client Sarah called me two weeks ago. “My finger hurts so bad. It got pinched when my ring cracked. Why would it crack? It’s not even that worn down.” She asked.
“Thinness of a ring shank, that bottom part that goes around and under your finger, isn’t the only cause of cracking.” I answered.
“Really?” Sarah asked.
A Ring Sized too Large Cracks Easier
This Inherited Ring was too Big for the Wearer.
“Is your ring at all loose on your finger?” I asked her.
“Well I did lose some weight.”
“Well I better come see you.” So we made an appointment.
When I showed up she had lost weight.
“My mother gave me some personal trainer sessions. That was one good gift.” Sarah enthused.
“You weren’t insulted?”
“I asked for them.” She said.
“Ah.” I remembered a client whose husband had given her a gym membership she didn’t ask for and it was hurtful to her. I was relieved this was an asked for gift. Maybe I should ask for that. She looked great.
I checked her finger size and she’d gotten a half a size smaller.
“Was your ring loose before you lost the weight?”
“It was.”
Happy Ending! I Fixed This Lovely Ruby Cracked Eternity Band
“We’ll re-size it smaller and repair it at the break.” I told her.
“Sounds like a plan.” Sarah said.
“When you wear a ring that is too large, it gets a lot more stress as it’s not as protected by the skin and muscle of your finger.”
“Who knew?” Sarah asked.
“Actually, at first I didn’t’ know either. But I saw about four cracked rings my first year as a jeweler and they all needed to be sized smaller as well as repaired.” I explained.
“Cool.”
Ring Back Too Thin? That Causes Cracking Too
The other reason a ring cracks and the more common cause is that your ring has become too thin at the back.
Most of the time a ring cracks at the bottom of your ring’s shank, in the middle, under your finger. This is because that spot gets the most stress.
Your ring gets more stress than normal at that spot, if it is too large for your finger. In the case of a too large ring it can crack even if it seems to have plenty of metal at the back.
What Do You Do for a Cracked Ring? Just Solder it Back Together?
The Depth is an Important Measurement in Determining Your Ring’s Strength
If we just solder it at the break, and do nothing else, then it is destined to break again in the same place. The first thing I check with a cracked ring is the thickness of the shank. I mean its depth.
If it’s depth is thin I recommend a re-shanking.
Re-Shanking Strengthens the Structure of Your Ring
We Re-Shanked This Ring Wider Below and Added Speed Bumps
A re-shanking involves making your ring’s shank thicker and deeper to give it more strength.
Sometimes a ring is very thin in width. And its thinness creates a weakness problem. Whether it is designed to be thin or just wore thin rubbing next to another ring, I like to make it wider during the re-shanking process.
A widening of the shank can be done just on the lower part of a ring in case you like the thin design look up top.
Another Reason Your Ring Cracked
This Wedding Set Saved My Client From a Broken Finger
Sometimes you don’t know your own strength. Sometimes the world is an unyielding place. I’ve picked up cracked rings from people who left them on while lifting at the gym.
I recently picked up a cracked and bent ring from a traveller. She’d picked up a heavy suitcase with a thin hard plastic handle and ouch, her ring cracked.
Rings can be heroes too. I’ve picked up more than one ring that saved someone from a broken finger. I’d say avoid all doors, but then you couldn’t have a life.
Sarah’s Rings Sized Smaller and Soldered Together
