Bezel Ring Wearers: Does this look normal?

[starbrite]

The fit is not too tight. The ring goes over my knuckle and, once on, sometimes even spins while I'm wearing it. Still, I'm getting this painful irritation from the bezels that I don't get with any of my other rings.

Does anyone else have a similar problem? Is it normal with a bezel head? If "normal", is there anything I can do to wear the ring without it being painful?

Because I had trouble juggling the camera with my left hand, the fingers on the right hand are bent extra tight in the photo and look fatter than normal. While I wear this ring on my left hand, the problem irritation is even worse. So I have switched wearing it to my right hand as in the photo.

 

[hathalove]

What does the underside of the ring look like?

 

[ringo865]

The underside of the ring probably doesn’t have a “finished” undergallery, but more like two strips on each side under there, with a hollowish area where the stones go. Either those “strips” are too sharp, or the ring it too small. Pics would help, but that’s what I recognize from my own ring that doesn’t have a solid shank under the gallery.

 

[distracts]

If the ring is not too small, is it possible you are either allergic to the metal or irritated by a soap or something that is getting trapped under there?

 

[Lookinagain]

I have no issues like that and most of my rings are bezel set so I don't think it's normal. Posting more photos of the ring would help and also, if allergy is possible, what metal is the ring and do you have others of the same?

 

[Mary Queen of Scotch]

I get this sometimes with a couple of my rings, and maybe it’s the same issue for you — soaps, lotions and potions get caught in the underside and if there’s one wrong ingredient in the mix, I wind up with contact dermatitis. No clue what the problem ingredients are, either, as I have no known allergies. When this happens, my at home ultrasonic cleaner isn’t enough to get rid of whatever the troublemaker is, and I have to take it to the jeweler for a thorough, proper cleaning.

 

[Cerulean]

It kinda looks like contact dermatitis. It happens very occasionally when I don't dry my hands after washing, get lotion trapped, etc. My hands also swell a lot, even though my ring fits, and then I will get marks.

It could also be some other allergy to alloys...

 

[eapj]

It kinda looks like contact dermatitis. It happens very occasionally when I don't dry my hands after washing, get lotion trapped, etc. My hands also swell a lot, even though my ring fits, and then I will get marks.

It could also be some other allergy to alloys...

I was having an issue with contact dermatitis (I think) and was worried I couldn’t wear rings. I sized up everything a half a size so that rings are loose now but I don’t have issues as my skin can dry, etc. life has been much better. And I realize that I like a looser fit!

 

[caolsen]

The underside of the ring probably doesn’t have a “finished” undergallery, but more like two strips on each side under there, with a hollowish area where the stones go. Either those “strips” are too sharp, or the ring it too small. Pics would help, but that’s what I recognize from my own ring that doesn’t have a solid shank under the gallery.

Totally agree with this! Also, we are headed into warmer weather in thr northern hemisphere. Personally speaking, my hands can go up a 1/2 size in the summer heat, and I have a few rings that will do this.

I am assume it’s not itchy? If so, metal allergy or allergy to a polish you might have used needs to be ruled out.

 

[starbrite]

I have a tighter fitting ring on my other hand and there is no problem. This bezel ring is slightly larger than all of my other rings. If the problem was lotion, soap, or retained water, wouldn't it effect both hands & other rings? I tried changing my rings around & the only one with a problem is the bezel one. It doesn't matter which hand I have it on.

However, I wonder if this ring's being slightly larger allows more stuff to get under it... Even so, I haven't changed anything in my soap, lotions, or how I dry my hands after getting my new ring. Everything else is the same; except this ring is new.

The ring is platinum. My E-ring (which I've worn 24/7 forever) is platinum. So odds of my suddenly having an unknown allergy to platinum is about zero.

If I run my finger over the inside of the 5 bezel head, the bezels don't feel smooth where they join together & curve. If that makes sense... I assumed that "roughness" was just normal in a multi bezel ring. Unfortunately, I'm experiencing a lot of distress when I wear the ring. Things have gotten so bad that I've had to put it in the ring box for a couple of days (and wear a different ring) before going back to trying to wear it again.

 

[marymm]

It would be great if you could post a close-up photo of the underside of the ring ... like you say, if the metal is not finished smoothly enough, it can irritate your skin and cause the redness and swelling ... perhaps also the underside of the metal bezel rounds are skinny/thin such that over time the metal is kind of pressing into your skin.

 

[Cerulean]

Please share a photo! If you want people to help and not throw out other speculations it will be helpful - platinum also has multiple alloys just FYI - not saying it's an allergy, but wanted to mention

I did also have a platinum ring that left a thin red mark on the top of my finger. The shank below the ring tapered to 1mm beneath the ring, and the weight just cut into my finger along the skinny shank, leaving a painful red mark....maybe something like that is happening too

 

[yssie]

Just post some photos. A picture is worth a thousand descriptions.

 

[starbrite]

The underside of the ring probably doesn’t have a “finished” undergallery, but more like two strips on each side under there, with a hollowish area where the stones go. Either those “strips” are too sharp, or the ring it too small. Pics would help, but that’s what I recognize from my own ring that doesn’t have a solid shank under the gallery.

As soon as I can, I'll try to get some photos of the inside of the ring.

The ring is new and needs to go back to have the shank edges rounded.

Although I asked for gently rounded shank edges, the edges ended up being modernistic, flat, sharp 90 degree angles. They dig into my palm, adjacent fingers, and even my palm side finger flesh up to the knuckle (when I make a fist or grab something). As much as I don't want to let my new ring go back for alterations, I absolutely can't live with the edges of the shank cutting into everything it touches. This kind of shank might be fine for some others, my skin is too sensitive for sharp edges.

Rather than immediately return the ring, I tried hard to wear it for a while in hopes that my skin would magically harden up & get used to the sharp edges of the shank. But no matter how badly I really, really, really wanted to keep my new ring, that didn't work. Instead, the irritation from the sharp edges just got worse. Now, whatever is going on with the bezel head is also bothering me.

The bezel head kind of feels like some of the metal may be a bit sharp like the shank. Only not as sharp. It doesn't make sense to me. I noticed that when I first got the ring, but my husband said this sharpness is normal when bezels are joined. Not that he knows anything about jewelry.

I have a large, blue topaz bezel set solitaire, and that ring feels smooth all around. Based on my good experience with that ring, I thought that a bezel setting would be perfect for me for a 5 stone ring.

If the bezel "strips" actually are too sharp, can they also be rounded off a little like the flat shank will be?

 

[yssie]

We seriously cannot answer any of your technical questions about what might or might not be happening/feasible without some photos. The multiple descriptions do not add clarity.

 

[starbrite]

We seriously cannot answer any of your technical questions about what might or might not be happening/feasible without some photos. The multiple descriptions do not add clarity.

Okay.

Sorry to have bothered the group with mere words.

However - beyond photos of the irritated skin that finally drove me to "ask Pricescope" - words are all I have at the moment.

When I asked ringo 865, "If the bezel strips actually are too sharp, can they also be rounded off a little like the flat shank will be?", I was merely being hopeful that maybe she'd had some personal experience with bezel sharp edges being correctable." Hope helps. It's been a long journey for me to get this particular ring designed and made. For me, it's not "just another ring". So I really, really, really want to be able to wear it.

Pricescope is supposed to be a community where people help each other. My new ring is beautiful and the jeweler is top notch. This ring was designed to be a 24/7 "forever" ring. I never expected to experience whatever is happening in the photo that I've already posted.

Since the ring can leave up to 3 full tiers of bezel irritation marks (at the same time) between the base of my finger & the knuckle, I'm now starting to think that something inside the ring really isn't as smooth as it should be. Whenever the ring moves, new marks appear.

Hearing various ideas from other Pricescopers has made me think deeper about my situation and alternative possibilities before I contact the jeweler with "another problem".

I have a lot of rings, but I've never had a problem like this before. So I'm somewhat feeling my own way as to what I need to talk to the jeweler about it.

I posted to this group to get an idea of what others may have experienced with a similar ring design. When some suggested possible contact dermatitis, I seriously did then contemplate that idea. Hearing different viewpoints on a subject really does help. However, dermatitis seems odd with only the one ring having a problem; while all other variables remain the same. That is unless the design of the one ring is the variable.

I'll try to get some macro photos. If for no other reason, I want to see close up images of the ring's interior for my own edification. I do feel something sharp that could possibly be causing irritation for my sensitive skin. However, photos still may not show what I'm feeling.

Having already discussed things with the jeweler who made the ring, I know the sharp edges on the substituted flat shank will not be difficult for him to correct.

However sharp edges (as ringo 865 mentioned) with the bezel interiors may not be as easily correctable; if at all. Guess that's why I originally totally forced myself to dismiss the idea that the bezel interior felt like it is cutting into my skin. I have had that feeling from the day I received the ring. Still, I had hoped I could live with the sensation. I so want to keep the ring and not have to change designs. Unfortunately, this ring has finally gotten too uncomfortable to wear at all. Now, I have to be realistic & think about what might be going on with the bezel interior.

Some people have the skin of a rhino and little bothers them. They can wear a flat, sharp edged shank that hurts me. They can wear big stones between their fingers (which would drive me nuts). Unlike the shank on this ring that I've been told is easily correctable, I don't know what will happen if the bezels themselves really are cutting into my finger.

Hopefully, photos will give me something concrete to discuss with the jeweler who made the ring. However, taking good photos (that really show much) of the inside of the ring won't be easy.

 

[Rfisher]

@starbrite
Would you also be willing to post your final cad? Or is it already posted somewhere?

I could see in a situation such as yours-a ring that fits over a knuckle, sometimes spins and sometimes doesn’t, could be sized up a tad to relieve the pressure that’s there to make an indent as the picture shows, assuming the indents happen when the ring isn’t freely spinning.
assuming contact dermatitis isn’t the culprit.
Its hard to say ( not being a jeweler) that the problem you are having would be better solved via enlargening the whole ring vs removing some metal that touches the top of your finger and then of course polishing it very smooth. If not the whole area - I wonder if removing the center area so it doesn’t touch your skin would release enough pressure?
It sounds like you also want the edges of the shank polished to be rounder as well?
Im not smart enough to to know where the line of reworking vs redesign/recast is drawn.

im assuming a lot and making a lot of guesses
interested to see how this resolves!

 

[PreRaphaelite]

At this point, even pictures of the *outside* and sides of the ring would be useful.
If you can make them even as good at the photo of your finger, that's a start.

 

[Tourmaline]

Yes. It’s from trapped moisture.

 

[yssie]

What problems are you having taking photos of the interior of the ring? This is achievable with just a smartphone, no special equipment or setup or lighting necessary. Extreme closeups are not required. Post the photos that you’ve tried to take and we can help you get better pictures. And we’ll probably get some useful information about the ring in the process, too.

Posting the CAD as another poster suggested is an excellent start, but if the issues are due primarily to finish - the CAD won’t show that.

Fundamentally - sharpness alone can create scratching, but cannot create indentation. Indentation requires pressure. Sharpness could be contributing to creating this pressure. There are myriad other explanations.

If you actually want help, then help us help you, rather than have us play unnecessary guessing games.

 

[lovedogs]

What problems are you having taking photos of the interior of the shank? This should be doable with just a smartphone, no special equipment or setup or lighting necessary. Extreme closeups are not required. If you share some of your photography attempts (ie. Post the photos you tried to take) we can help you get some helpful pictures.

Posting the CAD as another poster suggested is an excellent start, but if the issues are due to final finish - the CAD won’t show that.

PS is a very helpful resource... If you help us help you.

This. We are helpful whenever possible...but we need info to be able to help. We can guess all day long, but if you dont help us by giving info (in this case, pictures) then we really can't do much to help

 

[Gussie]

Update: I finally got my ring. It's gorgeous!!!

Unfortunately, it needs to go back for some alternations. Although we had agreed on a rounded shank (for my comfort), the bench mistakenly made a flat shank. To me, the edges on this flat shank feel sharp like a knife edge & is very uncomfortable. Knowing that I am sensitive (plus am not fond of the look of flat shanks), I had specifically asked for rounded edges. Oh well. No big deal. Oops sometimes do happen. As long as all ends well, I'm not really complaining.

Other than more time lost in my already year plus journey, I will eventually have the rounded edges on shank that I wanted (& that we had agreed on). Without hesitation, David has said he will correct the shank problem. He has been so nice all along & really great to work with. I only have good things to say about him. The princess diamonds set in the shank are beautiful and color matched to my D top stones.

Anyhow, because this thread was about the height of bezel head, I am back mainly to report that everything is perfect in that department.

The bezels are not too high and not too low. I love the height as it turned out. The gold filigree is a show off. The width of the bezels between my fingers is also perfect. I have full finger coverage without the bezels going in between the fingers next to my ring finger. If the bezels had been set any higher, the width would have been a problem. Lower; the filigree wouldn't have looked as nice. However, I got just what I wanted in both bezel height and width. Both are very comfortable and I think look really, really nice.

Attached are some quick finger shots.






Eventually I hope to do an entire thread on SMTB; after a few problems with other things are solved & everything about the ring is finally "just right". For me, this is a very special ring. I'll check in again then & close this thread.

Is this the ring that is causing the irritation? If it's not too tight, I can't see why it would be causing such a problem. That is a mystery. Have you asked David or Amy?

 

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

It's possible it is from being tighter when the finger swells and that is causing irritation. I know my finger changes throughout the day. I am assuming it is just cutting into the finger and moisture (or lotions) make it more irritable. It does not look like an allergy. All of the rings I have from David are generally smooth and do not have any unfinished areas. I wonder if a quick polish would help? Hope you figure it out.

 

[starbrite]

Is this the ring that is causing the irritation? If it's not too tight, I can't see why it would be causing such a problem. That is a mystery. Have you asked David or Amy?

That's my next stop. David has been so good about everything. But I wanted to first have some idea of what I'm actually asking about.

The latest detail is that the bezels will leave an imprint on the tip of my finger if I use even the very slightest pressure. None of the heads on my other rings will do this. They're pretty smooth. I did a comparison today. I know that this is just words. However, a photo of the pressure points on the tip of my finger would look very much like the original photo in this thread.

 

[starbrite]

It's possible it is from being tighter when the finger swells and that is causing irritation. I know my finger changes throughout the day. I am assuming it is just cutting into the finger and moisture (or lotions) make it more irritable. It does not look like an allergy. All of the rings I have from David are generally smooth and do not have any unfinished areas. I wonder if a quick polish would help? Hope you figure it out.

I'm starting to believe that a polish might help. I will ask David about that. Although it might not show in a photo, the interior bezel edges feel "rough, sharp, or something odd."

Even when the ring isn't on my hand, I can feel a problem if I run a finger over the interior of the bezels. It's weird. I started this thread to try to find out if other bezel owners have had a similar problem & if so, what the cause might be. That way I could go back to David and say more than just "The bezels hurt." Frankly, I've never had a problem like this before.

When the ring tightens up (from finger swelling), the "sharp" feeling becomes intolerable. My anniversary ring (smaller and on my other hand) also feels tighter when my fingers swell. However, that doesn't become painful. When my finger shrinks, the bezel ring moves up and down on my finger (plus also spins). Then, I get multi marks (like in the original photo) up and down my finger.

Hopefully, all works out in the end.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Good luck @starbrite
It must feel at least a little bit disappointing that your lovelly new forever ring isnt perfect
nothing that cost that amount of money should hurt !
And it looks like it hurts

best of luck getting a quick and painless solution

 

[ringo865]

I think it’s not the “bezel heads” that are irritaing you, but underneath the “bezel heads”. I’ll show a picture of a couple rings that do this to me. They fit alright, but because of the little hollowed-out area, sometimes my finger fat muffin-tops into that groove (for lack of a better description) and then chafes. So, yes, DK could buff that down nice and smooth, perhaps flatten the ridges out la little. Or, perhaps he could insert (this would be $$) a little under gallery piece to smooth the transition under the bridge.

 

[ringo865]

OKay, here are two pics of the undergallery of the ring I have that has kinda sharp ridges and a hollow where finger muffin fills (even tho the ring fits just fine). Hopefully you can see, they’re kinda like railroad tracks (albeit very tiny ones)


Here is a picture of another ring that has those same “ridges” under the gallery (also in Platinum like yours), but you see they are much flatter, so this ring rests nicely on my finger, and does NOT dig in at all. (omg i should have given her a spa day before photo shoots—-sorry!)



Then, here is another undergallery that is solid, meaning it’s all “shank” all the way around (even though there are diamonds on the top), this one is super smooth (but wide, so it fits tight and i kinda miss the little muffin hollow).



Hope you can post pics of your ring (the under part) so we can give you a better clue as to what’s going on there. But if you had DK make it, I am confident he can smooth it out for you (and the edges of the shank) and you will be back in love with it.

 

[starbrite]

OKay, here are two pics of the undergallery of the ring I have that has kinda sharp ridges and a hollow where finger muffin fills (even tho the ring fits just fine). Hopefully you can see, they’re kinda like railroad tracks (albeit very tiny ones)


Here is a picture of another ring that has those same “ridges” under the gallery (also in Platinum like yours), but you see they are much flatter, so this ring rests nicely on my finger, and does NOT dig in at all. (omg i should have given her a spa day before photo shoots—-sorry!)



Then, here is another undergallery that is solid, meaning it’s all “shank” all the way around (even though there are diamonds on the top), this one is super smooth (but wide, so it fits tight and i kinda miss the little muffin hollow).



Hope you can post pics of your ring (the under part) so we can give you a better clue as to what’s going on there. But if you had DK make it, I am confident he can smooth it out for you (and the edges of the shank) and you will be back in love with it.

Thank you for all this food for thought. You've been helpful.

I have an assortment of rings with very similar interiors to the different ones in your photos. Except the rings with a solid interior (that will sometimes retain moisture), I've had never had a problem with any: not even those with slimmer "rails". Until now, I never realized how many rings that I have with slimmer "rails". Guess I just didn't pay a lot of attention to something that never before bothered me.

However, your description of the "muffkin" (ie, fleshy part of the finger) being squeezed by thinner metal edges makes sense & may be contributing somewhat to my problem with my newest ring.

Although I haven't yet photographed the interior of my 5 stone ring, it looks well made to my naked eye. I will do a couple of photos soon when I have the opportunity. I'll then post the photos. In more than one direction, this head's interior looks different than all of my other rings. The interior reflects the design of the ring.

I plan to ask David to look at things when I send the ring back to have the band corrected to be what I had originally wanted. He's known to be a miracle worker with all sorts of problems. I have a lot of faith in him. He's also extremely easy to work with. I have only good things to say.

However, if the problem is truly is a design problem (for me but maybe not for someone else), I guess I may now just have a $15,000 ring that will look beautiful sitting in its box on my night stand but can only been worn for short times on special occasions. That's the worst end scenario. The best end scenario is that David will be able to easily identify & correct whatever is irritating my finger so much. I'm really hoping for the best.

The ring is beautiful and was meant to be a 24/7 ring for the rest of my life. It also has a very special meaning in my life. So I am honestly extremely disappointed to have run into an unexpected road block.

Anyhow, you have been a help with my trying to better understand what might possibly be going on. For some of us, "muffin top", delicate, fleshy finger skin can become sensitized to what feels it interprets as an irritant from metal that isn't completely smooth. Already sensitized skin then my become even more sensitized to additional things; like dampness under the ring. So perhaps my problem is complex.

All those who have tried to help me with their ideas have given me things to seriously think about.

The ring is already sized to be larger than what I normally wear. If I size it any larger & I may risk the danger of it accidently slipping off my knuckle.

For those who asked, I will post photos of the ring's interior. What won't be seen in any photo is that the edges of each interior bezel feels sharp (to me) like a fingernail digging into my skin.

 

[starbrite]

Good luck @starbrite
It must feel at least a little bit disappointing that your lovelly new forever ring isnt perfect
nothing that cost that amount of money should hurt !
And it looks like it hurts

best of luck getting a quick and painless solution

Thank you.