Jewelry Repairs

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Watch a video demonstration above to see how a thin shank is repaired. Continue reading below to learn more about the process!

After a wedding ring has been worn for many years, the metal will start to wear down. Once the ring becomes thin enough to the point where it might break, it’s time to do a repair called a shank.

A rink shank repair is done by cutting out the old thin section of the ring and replacing it with a new thicker piece of gold.

BEFORE

This bridal set had been worn for many years and the gold on the bottom of the ring (the shank) had worn very thin.

Step one: Cut out the thin portion of the ring.

Using a jewelers saw, cut out the thinnest section of the ring. In this particular case I am doing a “half shank” and will cut about half way down the sides…a bit lower than my pose here.

Thinnest section removed! This will be replaced by thicker 14kt gold stock. When ordering or rolling your gold stock, make sure it is the same width as the original shank, and at least 1.25mm thick.

Step Two: Measure the distance needed for the new piece of gold and then cut that new piece with the jewelers saw.

As you can see, the new piece that was cut is at least twice as thick as the original. There is a good chance the ring started out as this thickness, but due to gold being soft and worn over many years, the shank starts to thin out.

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I wanted to document a cool restoration project I did recently. There’s something incredibly satisfying about fixing a ring that has seemingly been destroyed.

The damaged ring

This sterling silver dolphin ring got ran over by a car! It got super smushed and also suffered many scratches and dings in the the process.

These dolphins used to be so happy, so shiny. Let’s see if we can’t do something about that.

Step 1: Bend the dolphins back into place

When the ring got ran over it was smashed in the process and the dolphins turned on their sides. I used pliers to gently bend them towards the top, or back into place.

Step 2: Removing the dings and scratches

Using a soft sanding disc and a flex shaft, I sanded over much of the ring. You want to make sure to keep a nice fluid motion as to not create “flat spots” on the ring from over-sanding.

Sanding complete! You can see how I did not sand over the dolphins eyes and mouth, thus preserving those carvings in the ring.

Step 3: Use ring bending pliers to reshape the ring

This dolphin ring was originally designed to have a “bypass” look to it, meaning that the dolphins kind of overlapped each other. These pliers do the trick in bending the shank of the ring, thus changing the look at the top.

Step 5: Polishing

At this point I used a small bristled wheel to polish the ring. A wheel like this works great in getting in all the hard to reach areas.

After using the small bristled brush, a larger soft polishing wheel is used to give the ring a bright finish.

The Final Result

Restoration complete! It’s really shiny! Sterling silver has a very bright appearance when brought to a high polish. You can see how reflective it is.

As smooth as a dolphin skin! Jewelry can be super sentimental for people so it’s always a feel good moment to bring rings back to life.

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The mission

The mission is simple, we need to show how to convert ring setting from “4 prong” ring to a “6 prong”. Many people might be wondering if this is even possible or what the benefits or drawbacks might be for each prong style. One of the main reasons to opt for a 6 prong style would be for security. Simply put, a 6 prong setting is going to hold a diamond more securely than it’s 4 prong counterpart.

Most people wear their engagement rings daily, and as a result these rings will be subject to the abuse of everyday “wear and tear.” It is not terribly uncommon for the prongs of a ring to be bent out of place as they sustain impact with another object. When this happens the center stone has a much better chance of staying in place if there are 6 prongs protecting it rather than 4.

Proponents of the 4 prong head usually like the way they can see a lot more of their diamond, as a 6 prong mounting generally covers the center stone a bit more. It’s important to note that even when a 4 prong head sustains a heavy impact, the center stone still has a good chance of staying in the ring. This is especially true if the head is platinum, which is a very durable metal.

For those people who want the extra piece of mind of a 6 prong setting, or just like how they look in general, there is definitely a way to make it happen!

Let’s dive in.

Removing the 4 prong setting

The first thing that needs to be done to covert a 4 prong ring setting into a 6 prong setting is to remove the existing head. If a stone is already set into the ring, it will be removed beforehand. For this example the ring setting was brand new and had never held a stone before.

In order to remove the head, the ring is placed in a soldering clamp and turned upside down. At this point the base of the head is slowly heated up by the goldsmith’s hand-torch. Once the solder that is holding in the head in places reaches “flowing” temperature, the head is pulled down and out of the ring mounting with tweezers.

6 Prong setting replacement

Once the old head has been removed from the ring mounting, you can see the leftover solder where the old head had once been. [Read more…] about How To Convert Ring Setting From “4 Prongs” To “6 Prongs”

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BEFORE (1 of 3): Ring got got ran over! Thankfully the damage was not as bad as it could have been. As you can see a diamond popped out, and the center stone sustained an internal fracture in the corner.

BEFORE (2 of 3): The gold supports were all bent up!

BEFORE (3 of 3) It’s looking pretty smushed! You can see the diamond halo is also dipping.

STEP 1: Remove the center stone.

Since there is going to be a lot of reshaping going on, let’s remove the center stone. We will also be able to better access certain areas of the ring. Slowly pull back on all four prongs to loosen the stone.

The stone is Removed! Hello gold support bars.

Step 2: Round Out The Ring.

The ring was placed on a mandrel and slid upwards until it was tight. You can see here that the ring shank itself is also bent out of shape. This will need to be addressed at a later point in time.

Step 3: Clamp The Ring In A Vice.

Clamping the ring in a vice is a great way to free up both hands, it also keeps the ring completely still, thus allowing you to better manipulate the gold as needed.

Step 4: Reshape The Halo.

Using needle-nose pliers, work them underneath the halo and slowly pulled upwards. You want to be careful that the top of the ring does not get damaged as you are searching for leverage.

Step 5: Straighten the support bars.

This is probably the trickiest step in this repair. Put pressure on the backside of the support and gradually squeeze until the metal starts moving. Again, be mindful not to ding the top too much. Due to the fact that this is such a delicate ring setting, it can be expected that the ring will never be fully “perfect” again after sustaining such damage. We should however be able to restore it to a point where it can look good and be worn comfortably!

Symmetry has been restored! While not perfect, it is certainly much better than it was, and won’t be noticeable when the ring is worn on a finger.

Step 6: Replace and Set the missing diamond, tighten all other stones.

Lay a new diamond in the area where it was missing, take a beading tool and push towards the stone, thus securing metal all around the diamond. Repeat this process on all of the stones! While many stones were not lost, there are bound to be many loose after sustaining the damage from the car. The process of reshaping the ring can also potentially loosen stones.

Step 7: Straighten out the ring shank.

Using a hammer, lay the ring on a flat surface and tap the ring flat. Flip the ring over and repeat the process.

Step 8: Use a fine sanding wheel to remove stretches.

This is part of the “pre-polish” stage where scratches and tool marks are removed from the ring. Make sure you use a fine grit as to not remove too much metal.

Step 9: Use a brush wheel to get into all of the finer areas of the ring.

This polishing brush works wonders to brighten up the ring.

Polishing Continued…

The Final Result:

Step 10: Reset the center stone, clean and steam.

Resetting the center stone is basically the reverse process of removing it. Use stone setting pliers to pull the prongs back down over the stone. I think it’s great to retain the original center stone even though it was slightly damaged. In my opinion it gives it character.

The ring restoration is Complete! (1 of 2)

(2 of 2) All done!

Being a goldsmith is a very rewarding career for me. I enjoy being able to work on new projects on a consistent basis, and the opportunity to share them with you!

Thanks for reading!

For all custom jewelry and repair inquiries, please contact us.

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A man was wearing his wedding ring while doing some electrical work. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS! Gold is an excellent conductor and you can suffer burns or loss of your finger entirely.

Thankfully I was able to get the finger back on successfully… Wait, his finger was actually just fine but I DID get to fix his ring!

More damage on top. When electricity meets gold it acts as a weld.

Step 1: Cutting out the melted section.

Using a jewelers saw, I cut out the section that was badly melted. A bench pin works great to keep the ring nice and steady. [Read more…] about Gold Ring Melted By Electricity: Full Restoration

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BEFORE (1 of 3) : This ring apparently got jammed in the drivers seat of a car when the seat was being adjusted. Miraculously the tanzanite was not harmed during the ordeal.

BEFORE (2 of 3): DIAMONDS MISSING! Due to the ring being bent out of shape, many small diamonds popped out and were lost.

(3 0f 3)

The Restoration Process Step by Step //

Step 1: Reshaping

First I removed the large Tanzanite from the ring to prevent the stone from being damaged. I then slid the ring on the end of a mandrel and slowly pulled the ring upwards to a somewhat round shape.