Jewellery remodelling gone mad? No, a practical solution for an engagement ring wearer.
If you have large knuckles, wearing a ring can be difficult. There are lots of different solutions we can offer, our favourites being when we can keep the ring as a single component. Depending on the level of arthritis you suffer from (or how much rugby you played!) reshaping the rings can provide the perfect solution for ring wearers keen to keep their jewellery on their fingers.
The Challenge
If the below image is similar to your issue - drop me a line!
Our lovely client was approaching her 36th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately she is also suffering with the beginnings of arthritis in her knuckles, which meant that she had been unable to wear her engagement and wedding rings for quite some time. She was practical enough to know that this was not going to get any better, and also sentimental enough to want to do something about it. She was keen to keep the original ring metal, but felt that combining her engagement and wedding ring bands together would hopefully create enough metal to make a single ring she could wear. Could we make a new wedding ring to match? Of course!
The Options
The rings were a bit worn, and our solution was going to require a bit more metal to build the ring up, we were also asked to change the collet, for something a little more elegant. We decided best option for the new ring was to combine the metal from the engagement and wedding rings. We'd create a new wedding ring to work alongside.
Why is your ring spinning? Read our article here.
We discussed increasing the size of the ring shank (and adding inserts to prevent roll) which we felt was going to feel too big once the ring was on. Also considered was the option of a hinged ring, which was ruled out because of the complexity and cost. So we looked at the band shape itself. Our proposal was to create two bands of a more trapezoid shape – which would slide on easily, and then ‘lock into place’. While from the side, the design looks a little odd (when we are so conditioned the seeing rings as round), but this is a much more intuitive shape for the hand, as fingers aren’t round!
Our client could see the benefits, so we were good to start..
The Process
We started this commission with the wedding ring as this was going to be made in platinum, and so be a lot simpler to create and get right. Once we had the shape right for the client, we could then progress with creating the reworked engagement ring. The first working was slightly too big for our client (as you can see from the image), but she was pleasantly surprised at how well the ring fitted and felt.
With this feedback we got back to work, and adjusted the ring to fit comfortably. Then we turned our attention to building the engagement ring. We milled the original wedding and engagement bands together, to create a single wire. It became obvious that with the ring size change, we were still going to need more metal. But you can see some of the steps taken below. We sculpted in the daylight shoulders with a little new metal.
In the gallery shot, the finished engagement ring and matching wedding ring look quite dramatic when viewed from the side, especially in comparison to the original rings. That is because we have an inbuilt voice shouting..”but rings are round!”. No - circles are made to be round! Rings you have more license with! As you can see looking at the ring, from the top it is very difficult to see that it isn’t round, it just looks ring shaped.
The end result
The rings were delivered back to our excited (and slightly nervous client) and were tried on. The fit was perfect and as you can see in the photo, they look stunning. Importantly, they weren’t cutting into the finger at any point, and also still had some leeway for an increase in size in future if required. Because they are not pressing into the finger, or aggravating the knuckle joint they won't make things worse for the wearer.
How did my client feel? I've popped her testimonial at the end of this article!
A lovely way to ensure that she is able to keep wearing the rings she has owned all this time.
Update – we checked in after a few weeks of wear to make sure that everything feels right. Our client is now used to the shape, and says that it feels no different to wearing a round ring – she doesn’t notice it. Which is exactly why I had suggested this route for the engagement ring remodelling project. It is great to hear how much she is enjoying wearing them again.
Do you struggle to wear your rings over your large knuckle? Drop me an email or Start a WhatsApp chat with us here.. and I'll do my best to help.
Client Testimonial (On Trustpilot)
Sentimental value and .... swollen knuckles...
I was looking for a solution to this dilemma when I contacted Ruth ; I wished to keep all of the original gold and the same setting for my diamond solitaire and wedding ring (married for 36 years so far...) but they had already been stretched two or three times, were getting very thin and I needed to be able to get them over my knuckle without them being uncomfortable and oversized once on my fine finger.
I confess I was a little nervous when Ruth suggested a softened trapezium shape for both bands but I understood the logic and agreed to move forward with this proposal. The plan was to combine my original bands into the reshaped and slightly thicker engagement ring band whilst retaining a similar setting for my diamond and to have a brand new wedding ring made in the same bespoke shape.
Following a couple of previous meetings and fittings, I picked up the finished products at the beginning of the week and feel like a newlywed looking at my new combination of rings all the time!
Off the finger they look somewhat odd and surprising in shape but once on my finger they look really lovely and they seem to sit very well, don't spin and are certainly comfortable to wear.
Thank you Ruth - a great result! I will certainly be sharing this innovative solution with my friends.
See more case studies here.