How to Enlarge a Ring Without a Mandrel

Ring Restoration: How To Repair A Thin Shank

level 1

Hey honey, gimme your ring for a second. No, I'm not about to use the dremel on it.

Is totally about to use the dremel on it

level 2

Wait, what are you doing with my ring??

This will buff right out, I promise.

level 2

I made the engagement ring for my fiance, and I have a new found understanding that it is just metal. Dremels, files, heck we even used a pvc pipe to beat it on a mandrel to enlarge the ring sizing. If we want to change the ring, or need to fix it, its just metal (and very expensive carbon).

level 2

I always use a dremel to clean my wedding ring. Using a felt buffing wheel and some jewellers' rouge makes it all shiny again really easily

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In the picture, it looks more like a foredom than a dremel.

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Thanks for posting this ! I am a jeweller and it happens often when a customer brings a ring for sizing I suggest a reshank. They always seem surprised, I don't think people realize gold wears down after many years of wear lol! 200-300 is exactly right for price range as well! Jewellery needs tune ups, just like your car! Cool post :)

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Honestly the fact that gold (and silver) are pretty soft is a really good thing for safety. I had a woman come into my ER a while ago who's husband had made her wedding ring out of some kind of hardened steel bearing part or something that he glued cheap stones into. I think it was the inner race piece. Well she hurts her finger and it swells like crazy and I need to cut it off. Problem is my ring cutter won't even touch it. Even my diamond cutters are barely scratching this thing because of how slow the cutter turns. I eventually had to go down to the maintenance department and borrow a dremel. I slathered it in ky to keep it cool and it took me almost an hour to cut through it.

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This is a great example that a lot of people don't think of when buying engagement /wedding jewelry. They think about the 5Cs of the stone(s) and not the properties of the band metal. Personally, I think they are equally as important!

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Yep I spent a bit over $200 CAD to reshank my grandmother's old white gold engagement ring. Totally worth it! I was getting it resized anyway.

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hey Mr. Jeweler, can I ask you a question? So my mom years ago took her wedding ring in for repair because the setting had gone bad (lose or lost a finger I forget which). When she picked it up the guy had simply swapped the band, melted down the original, told her the "ring" was the diamond and that is how the repair is supposed to be done. Was this BS?

level 2

This. My dad is a retired jeweller and he always tells me to wear 10k gold because it has less wear. My wedding ring is 10k. Hardly any wear.

level 2

Weirdly enough, my grandmother's (and grandfather;s) wedding rings are just as trick as ever. Maybe because they were thick from the beginning. hmmmmm

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