Bezel Ring Wearers: Does this look normal?

[gregchang35]

I haven’t read all the responses.

Here is my 2cents:

if you are right handed, the fingers on the right will be a little bigger than the left.

weight fluctuations / weather, in particular heat, medication, arthritis are some of the things that I can think of that can also cause issues with tight fit. I have had my fair share of fit issues, so I feel for you.

I do not see a picture of the ring you have the issue with, so I am going to at best give you what I know, but take it with a bag of salt as the design you have may not reflect what I am saying.

the design of the ring does help with some sizing issues- openness or closed. Open, like the first 3 pics of @ringo865 will allow for a little more finger width to fit. Ie- if you are normally a size 4, that space will allow for about 4.25-4.5; all depending on the desgin

closed, like the last picture will not be as forgiving.

If you feel the edges of the setting on the fitting surface is more of an issue, then a redesign may be necessary, or a simple polish might help. Perhaps take it to a jeweler maker and am sure they can guide you. I saw a name of David, not sure which David you are referring to, but most “David”jewelers that PSers work with, provide pictures of the ring. Wonder if you have any of that?
Oh, I read that you are going to take some pictures later on. Great, that would help

Increasing the ring size is an option. Then, you can add sizing beads to help minimise spinning, or the feeling of it falling off.

Hopefully, my comments hasn’t confused you with more considerations.

good luck with communicating with your jeweler. Am sure he will help you out.

 

[Lookinagain]

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.

If it's a design problem, wouldn't it be better to design something else and have it remade? Yes, it will cost you to do that, but then you wouldn't have a $15,000 ring sitting in a box to only wear once in a while. Unless this specific design is what makes this ring special to you, I would hope you could change, or just tweak the design to be able to have a ring made that you can wear. Of course, figuring out if it's some kind of allergy to the alloys used would be the first question, but if not that, and you determine for some reason it's the design, then redesign so you can wear it. Letting it sit in a box to wear occasionally if that wasn't the original intent doesn't make sense since there are other options. I hope you are able to resolve this to your satisfaction as I know it is very disappointing, but there has to be some solution.

 

[yssie]

There are always options besides putting it away. Determining potential remediations does of course first require identification of the issue(s).

No need for the worst case melodramatics, starbrite, you won’t be stuck with a $15k almost-paperweight unless you choose to be. But given that we’re thirty three responses and four days into this thread and you’ve yet to post so much as a CAD of this ring - I’m starting to think that might just be the case.

I’ve tried to help here. I’m out. Good luck.

 

[starbrite]

Photos with more to come.

To me, it looks like a well made ring. However, others may see something I'm missing.

 

[lulu_ma]

Photos with more to come.

To me, it looks like a well made ring. However, others may see something I'm missing.

Can you please post a profile pic? Is it possible that the angle of the top arch is causing the donuts to dig into your finger?

 

[yssie]

1. It's top-heavy, and it's probably just plain ol' heavy. The top is already inclined to dig into your flesh, just because of the weight.

2. The inner edges of that shank look sharp. Really sharp. This must be irritating your finger... Which is likely swelling in response. Unfortunately, because of the large azures under the shoulder diamonds, there's not much space here to soften those significantly... Question for your vendor. A ring with edges as sharp as this is an unacceptable deliverable, in my opinion; if a recast is required then that's what's required.


3. All of those design hollows - the five doughnuts, the azures down the shoulders - they all trap water, lotion, sweat, etc, further irritating your skin. Simply sizing up a bit more - and being extra careful to dry the underside after washing your hands - should help a ton. The sharp shank edge is still a vendor error, though - give DK the opportunity to fix that. I'm confident he will.

 

[Rfisher]

@starbrite
~total left field suggestion~
take this ring and a ring of yours that is somewhat similar to this new rings width that doesn't dig into your finger, to a local jeweler that can measure both rings on a mandrel to compare?
see if they both measure the same size?

15k?

 

[yssie]

15k?

Same question. How did this ring come to cost $15k?

 

[starbrite]

On the hand

There are always options besides putting it away. Determining potential remediations does of course first require identification of the issue(s).

No need for the worst case melodramatics, starbrite, you won’t be stuck with a $15k almost-paperweight unless you choose to be. But given that we’re thirty three responses and four days into this thread and you’ve yet to post so much as a CAD of this ring - I’m starting to think that might just be the case.

I’ve tried to help here. I’m out. Good luck.

Just read this and don't understand the hostility. You're a most respected member of Pricescope. You know jewelry and have some gorgeous pieces. You've been very helpful to others. You've even offered good suggestions on another one of my threads.

Sorry if I have somehow offended you with this thread. My taking a bit of time to get decent photos of the ring's interior can't be the only problem. I must have done something else that I am unaware of. Whatever that was, I meant no disrespect.

With this thread only being a couple of days old, I have added photos of the ring's interior as soon as I could. I had also sent the original photo of the problem being caused by the ring. Plus Gussie had included some photos of the ring on my hand. Those images show that the fit seems to be correct. I was going to add those images to this thread, but Gussie (who is very sweet) beat me to it.

Again, I'm sorry if I haven't gone through proper protocol while asking for help for a situation that does (at the moment) have me somewhat upset. I haven't blamed anyone at all for my situation. I also don't think I've insulted anyone with my "words". On the positive side, I have learned different things from many of the kind responses which were given concerning this thread.

In all honesty, this particular ring is symbolic of a very important milestone in my life. After getting off to a difficult start, I've tried very hard to try to make sure I ended up with a ring I could wear 24/7 forever. Instead, I ended up with a mysterious and physically painful problem (that may not be correctable without starting all over). I have a strong emotional connection to what the ring symbolizes. This is the first ring my husband & I have done together in more years than I can remember.

Not being able to wear the ring without feeling pain makes me now feel in limbo. If the design itself (for some odd reason) should prove to be totally wrong for my comfort as an individual, my emotional self says it's a gift from my husband and I should keep it no matter what. At the same time, I'd consider modifications to make the ring comfortable. I'd change my hand lotion or whatever else is needed. That's why I've come to Pricescope for help.

However, I have also had to give some thought to the "what if's" if I can't resolve the pain issue without a total remake. Yes, emotion is involved. This is not just another ring that I bought from my own money. This is a very special gift from my husband to mark a very special occasion in our life together.

As far as I can see, the ring seems to be extremely well made. Technically (unless I've miss seeing something), I should be able to wear it pain free. However at this point, I can't.

When I started this thread, I wrote as much as I could to explain the problems I've been experiencing.

I was sincerely trying to find some solution; so that I can wear my milestone ring for more than for brief periods on special occasions. It was purchased as a 24/7 ring. I really don't want to just throw the ring in a jewelry box for most of the time. And take it out for only for special occasions. I really prefer a different solution. That's why I've tried to reach out for other people's thoughts that might help.

Again, I do apologize if I did something wrong. I posted photos of the ring's interior as quickly as I've been able to take them. My photos show more than a blurry cell phone snapshot would. My cell cam isn't the best. I was hopeful that my showing more detail would also make the photos more helpful.

 

[starbrite]

Same question. How did this ring come to cost $15k?

All Super Ideal Cut, D/E color/ IF & VVS1 clarity diamonds. Most of the stones are the higher color and clarity. Plus there also was the setting that also has about another .8 carats of D color VS Princess cut stones. Although expensive, I'm sure the diamonds were quite fairly priced for what they are. As was the setting.

The actual price was slightly under the above figure but very close to round up for replacement insurance. I know that similar rings with different diamonds can be bought for a lot less. I chose to go with the nicest diamonds I could find.

1. It's top-heavy, and it's probably just plain ol' heavy. The top is already inclined to dig into your flesh, just because of the weight.

2. The inner edges of that shank look sharp. Really sharp. This must be irritating your finger... Which is likely swelling in response. Unfortunately, because of the large azures under the shoulder diamonds, there's not much space here to soften those significantly... Question for your vendor. A ring with edges as sharp as this is an unacceptable deliverable, in my opinion; if a recast is required then that's what's required.


3. All of those design hollows - the five doughnuts, the azures down the shoulders - they all trap water, lotion, sweat, etc, further irritating your skin. Simply sizing up a bit more - and being extra careful to dry the underside after washing your hands - should help a ton. The sharp shank edge is still a vendor error, though - give DK the opportunity to fix that. I'm confident he will.

Thank you so very, very much for helping. I sincerely appreciate it.

 

[starbrite]

@starbrite
~total left field suggestion~
take this ring and a ring of yours that is somewhat similar to this new rings width that doesn't dig into your finger, to a local jeweler that can measure both rings on a mandrel to compare?
see if they both measure the same size?

15k?

Unfortunately, I don't have any other rings like this one.

 

[starbrite]

Can you please post a profile pic? Is it possible that the angle of the top arch is causing the donuts to dig into your finger?

I'll try to get one over the weekend.

 

[starbrite]

More photos

 

[distracts]

Just read this and don't understand the hostility. You're a most respected member of Pricescope. You know jewelry and have some gorgeous pieces. You've been very helpful to others. You've even offered good suggestions on another one of my threads.

If the design itself (for some odd reason) should prove to be totally wrong for my comfort as an individual, my emotional self says it's a gift from my husband and I should keep it no matter what. At the same time, I'd consider modifications to make the ring comfortable. I'd change my hand lotion or whatever else is needed.

As far as I can see, the ring seems to be extremely well made. Technically (unless I've miss seeing something), I should be able to wear it pain free. However at this point, I can't.

Ok so ONE reason people are having problems with your thread is every time we open it there's another wall of text from you that we have to read to see if it contains any useful information, only for it to generally not. It makes people feel like you are wasting their time. Some chitchat is fine - it's how we get to know each other! But we don't need quite so much on almost every post. In my quote I deleted all the "unnecessaries." You've already said all that and we don't need to hear it in every single post.

 

[distracts]

And yeah my guess for how the ring would come to be so expensive is according to your other thread I saw they were 40 pointers, and if they were high color, high clarity, plus the other diamonds, from a local jeweler who had regular brick and mortar jeweler type pricing, $15k isn't out of line.

 

[starbrite]

1. It's top-heavy, and it's probably just plain ol' heavy. The top is already inclined to dig into your flesh, just because of the weight.

2. The inner edges of that shank look sharp. Really sharp. This must be irritating your finger... Which is likely swelling in response. Unfortunately, because of the large azures under the shoulder diamonds, there's not much space here to soften those significantly... Question for your vendor. A ring with edges as sharp as this is an unacceptable deliverable, in my opinion; if a recast is required then that's what's required.


3. All of those design hollows - the five doughnuts, the azures down the shoulders - they all trap water, lotion, sweat, etc, further irritating your skin. Simply sizing up a bit more - and being extra careful to dry the underside after washing your hands - should help a ton. The sharp shank edge is still a vendor error, though - give DK the opportunity to fix that. I'm confident he will.

Yssie,

You've been extremely helpful. More than you probably know. Thank you a million times!!!

The fact that there is some there that can be corrected has made me feel so much better. I knew something felt wrong, but I couldn't see what you saw.

Before I realized the bezel head would also end up hurting so much, I immediately noted that the shank with the sharp flat edges (all around) was a major problem. Besides my not liking the look, the squared off sides of the flat shank stab me like a sharp finger nail. Because we had discussed rounded shank edges before the ring was made, I was shocked to get this flat shank with sharp edges. I immediately contacted David. So he knows the ring is going back for that to be corrected.

Could the problem with the shank edge that you're seeing be connected to that?

What exactly do I need to tell David so that he will be able to understand what I need? I'm not as well versed in explaining things as you are?

Strangely, I don't find this 5 stone ring any heavier feeling than my E-ring. So the weight itself not bothering me is a big plus. However, you're right that the weight with the extra openings add another dimension for moisture retention leading to irritation.

 

[starbrite]

Ok so ONE reason people are having problems with your thread is every time we open it there's another wall of text from you that we have to read to see if it contains any useful information, only for it to generally not. It makes people feel like you are wasting their time. Some chitchat is fine - it's how we get to know each other! But we don't need quite so much on almost every post. In my quote I deleted all the "unnecessaries." You've already said all that and we don't need to hear it in every single post.

COVID Lock Down probably has made me finally lose my mind... This ring (and various road blocks) has become an obsession for the past 14 months . Normally, I don't obsess.

All I really want is to have the ring finally on my hand and only think about the pretty sparkle. No more problems.

 

[monipod]

Just my own two cents worth: If you have exhausted all other possibilities, please confirm with your jeweller exactly what alloy was used for your rings. There is no such thing as 100% platinum, so even if it's 95% Pt. you should be told what the other 5% is. Even trace amounts of nickel can be irritating and some people don't tolerate other common alloys such as iridium and palladium.

I'd also ask about your 18K mix to make sure there isn't just enough nickel to be causing an issue. Long shot but I can't think of anything else. The area looks like it's reacting to something!

Other than that, your ring looks pretty easy to wear and lovely.

 

[Cerulean]

There are always options besides putting it away. Determining potential remediations does of course first require identification of the issue(s).

No need for the worst case melodramatics, starbrite, you won’t be stuck with a $15k almost-paperweight unless you choose to be. But given that we’re thirty three responses and four days into this thread and you’ve yet to post so much as a CAD of this ring - I’m starting to think that might just be the case.

I’ve tried to help here. I’m out. Good luck.

I do not think yssie was being hostile here.

You explicitly asked for help, but then strangely didn’t posts photos for days while multiple people asked for them (including yssie and myself). They should have been included in the original post, not just to be respectful of other peoples time, but to actually discover what is going on.

If the issue is the undercarriage of the ring, and you don’t post photos while expecting people to ruminate on all of the potentialities, that might ALL be wrong according to photos...it’s really quite frustrating.

I have followed your journey and tried to be helpful along the way, and have kept checking back in for photos each of the 30x+ I got notified for this thread, only to find no images to diagnose, and long posts to scan through. Other people posted photos of their undersides before you did...like, COME ON!

I know this journey has had many challenges and has been exhausting. People here want to help you figure it out, which is why so many have guessed without images. But try to be fair to other people and yourself and not make things more challenging than they need to be - or it’ll become a self filling prophecy

 

[Cerulean]

1. It's top-heavy, and it's probably just plain ol' heavy. The top is already inclined to dig into your flesh, just because of the weight.

2. The inner edges of that shank look sharp. Really sharp. This must be irritating your finger... Which is likely swelling in response. Unfortunately, because of the large azures under the shoulder diamonds, there's not much space here to soften those significantly... Question for your vendor. A ring with edges as sharp as this is an unacceptable deliverable, in my opinion; if a recast is required then that's what's required.


3. All of those design hollows - the five doughnuts, the azures down the shoulders - they all trap water, lotion, sweat, etc, further irritating your skin. Simply sizing up a bit more - and being extra careful to dry the underside after washing your hands - should help a ton. The sharp shank edge is still a vendor error, though - give DK the opportunity to fix that. I'm confident he will.

Yes to point 3, I am very careful to dry my hand under my ring every time I wash my hands, and remove it when I apply lotion, and I usually wipe my ring finger down. I have a heavy platinum ring too. I do get little red indents the shape of my bezels, because I have fleshy fingers. But they are never so painful and irritated

 

[MissGotRocks]

My first thought was that the ring is too small. You say that it goes on well and even spins so that leads to either design or metal mix. Have you shared these pictures with the jeweler that made the ring? He knows the design and metal mix the best so I would be interested in getting his input as to why this might be happening. It is a beautiful ring and certainly needs an answer. The diamonds are yours so if it means even remaking the ring, you may have to travel down that road to have yourself a wearable, enjoyable ring.

 

[yssie]

All Super Ideal Cut, D/E color/ IF & VVS1 clarity diamonds. Most of the stones are the higher color and clarity. Plus there also was the setting that also has about another .8 carats of D color VS Princess cut stones.

Very high colour/clarity boutique stones of that size - makes sense, that’ll add up fast.

It’s a beautiful ring. I am confident the look that you want is achievable in a way that’s comfortable for you to wear however often you want. Devil’s in the details and custom pieces do sometimes take more than one try to perfect.

You said the band spins. If you put it on when it’s hot outside, or right after a workout, does it still spin? If it does, then it’s likely the right size and the discomfort is caused by your finger swelling in response to irritation. Here’s something else you can try. Do you have a pair of 1-2mm comfort fit bands? (A comfort fit band has a very rounded interior edge - thinner comfort fit bands might be made from fully round wire. They slide on and off like butter.) You could try sandwiching this ring between two bands - that will decrease the irritation caused by those sharp interior edges, because the “edge” the finger flesh now encounters is the comfort fit edge. I do this with a few vintage bands that are on the sharp side. It requires the ring be sized for stacking, and it changes the look on the finger (from a band to a stack), but it may allow you to wear the ring comfortably until final resolution.


My other suggestion would be to consider reducing the size of the doughnuts. Smaller doughnuts will decrease moisture retention and provide a more forgiving fit through finger size changes... but smaller doughnuts will require gallery design alterations which may not be your preference.

I suspect simply fixing the sharp shank interior, potentially sizing up a bit (if the ring is tight when you first put it on in hot weather or after a workout - take it up a quarter or half size), and confirming the ring is made of an alloy you don’t have any allergies to will work wonders.

One additional thing you might discuss with your vendor: You could also size up and have a horseshoe sizer put in. Upside: Very very forgiving of swelling, finger size changes. Downside: The ring must be made significantly larger than actual size (one full size or more larger). And you might find the horseshoe strip itself uncomfortable! This is polarizing - people either love horseshoes or hate them, nothing in between. Perhaps something to try in this cast if it must be scrapped anyway.

Accurate Determination of Finger and Ring Sizes

Learn how to determine finger and ring sizes accurately. Contains video and illustrations

www.gia.edu

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Perhaps there is nickel in the alloy. Could you try the clear-nail-polish trick?
Perhaps there is polishing compound residue. Is it possible to deep clean it?

Beyond that, send to David and ask for his help. He knows his work, and wants you to absolutely love your ring and wear it.

 

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

Looking at the pictures you posted (which were very helpful) I see the sharp edges on the band. Rounding those edges will fix that. Most of my rings have comfort fit bands. Depending how non rounded bands are made, I can sometimes wear them. It's hit or miss so I generally stick with comfort fit. I think it's an easy fix.

I think the issue you are having with the gallery where it meets the finger is because there may be rough surfaces INSIDE the gallery cut outs so when your finger swells those rough edges are causing irritation. Water trapped there may also worsen the problem. It would be hard to see but probably fixable.

 

[Lookinagain]

OP, did DK do a CAD for you or did you have him rely on this one that you posted in your other thread?


Just wondering because the edge of the shank does look very sharp to me in this one, and if he relied on this design, I can see why the edges are sharp. If he did a different CAD, would you please post it so we can see what the shank looks like in his CAD?

 

[starbrite]

I do not think yssie was being hostile here.

You explicitly asked for help, but then strangely didn’t posts photos for days while multiple people asked for them (including yssie and myself). They should have been included in the original post, not just to be respectful of other peoples time, but to actually discover what is going on.

If the issue is the undercarriage of the ring, and you don’t post photos while expecting people to ruminate on all of the potentialities, that might ALL be wrong according to photos...it’s really quite frustrating.

I have followed your journey and tried to be helpful along the way, and have kept checking back in for photos each of the 30x+ I got notified for this thread, only to find no images to diagnose, and long posts to scan through. Other people posted photos of their undersides before you did...like, COME ON!

I know this journey has had many challenges and has been exhausting. People here want to help you figure it out, which is why so many have guessed without images. But try to be fair to other people and yourself and not make things more challenging than they need to be - or it’ll become a self filling prophecy

I didn't post photos because I had no photos other than a couple of quick shots of the skin irritation. Those first two photos were totally impulse images done while I was actually shooting a work assignment. The ring annoyance that day reminded me that I had an ongoing problem and needed some advice.

However, beyond the initial image, I pretty much only had words at that time to explain the situation. I apologize to all for being a bother... I suppose I shouldn't initiated a vague thread that was originally meant to help me understand if my problem was truly a problem or if it was instead something relatively common with this type of multi bezel ring.

Maybe I should have originally also posted the other random photo I had taken with the ring on; which somewhat shows how bezel irritation can also extend up my finger as the ring moves up and down. Irritation was worse underneath the ring. Taken later after the ring had been off for a while, that's what I posted.

Merely looking at my ring's interior photos (sent yesterday) that shows detail, I still really only see a pretty ring. However, Yssie has been helpful in pointing out more to explain what I've been feeling. It makes sense.

Yes, this entire "once-in-a-lifetime" journey of custom making last year's anniversary ring has been challenging. Unfortunately, it's not over yet. It won't be over until I have a ring I can wear.

At the rate things are going, I'll probably be wearing my new ring, now being made for this year's anniversary, before last year's anniversary ring. Knock on wood, that ring will be problem free. I expect it will be.

I've been very lucky in the past where I've had several custom rings designed & made without even a hint of any sort of problems. No outside opinions needed. Just me, my husband, and the jeweler. That was what I had originally had expected again. Of course, my previous experiences were in a face to face, real life situation; not a remote or cyber world. Etc, etc, etc.

Anyhow, being a member for only 9 months, the ins & outs of Pricescope has been relatively new territory for me. I provide photos when I have them. If I need additional photos for others to understand more, I will try to take them... as soon as I can. In this case, it took me 48 hours. When I first had my initial question about experiencing skin irritation from a bezel ring, I really didn't realize that I would need to show photos of the interior of the ring. So I had none. My bad.

A profile photo (non glamour) will come as soon as I can find the time to shoot one.

This photo (a very ugly one of a beautiful ring) shows additional marks from the bezels above the bezels as the ring moves on my finger. It was taken before the original image at the beginning of the post that showed directly under the head of the ring as you see it sitting here. I had had the ring off for a while before I shot that under-the-band image.

 

[Lookinagain]

are you sure it isn't too small? It looks tight to me.

 

[starbrite]

Looking at the pictures you posted (which were very helpful) I see the sharp edges on the band. Rounding those edges will fix that. Most of my rings have comfort fit bands. Depending how non rounded bands are made, I can sometimes wear them. It's hit or miss so I generally stick with comfort fit. I think it's an easy fix.

I think the issue you are having with the gallery where it meets the finger is because there may be rough surfaces INSIDE the gallery cut outs so when your finger swells those rough edges are causing irritation. Water trapped there may also worsen the problem. It would be hard to see but probably fixable.

This is helpful.

This ring supposedly has a comfort band.

I had originally considered the top bezels feeling uncomfortable (when I first got the ring) as the head merely having so many holes & that being an unfamiliar sensation. I had hoped I would get used to the new sensation. Instead, the problem got worse. So maybe those individual edges do need more rounding off. I will ask about that. The bezels now cut even when my fingers are dry and there is no swelling.

 

[Un_Petit_Rayon_de_Soleil]

This is helpful.

This ring supposedly has a comfort band.

I had originally considered the top bezels feeling uncomfortable (when I first got the ring) as the head merely having so many holes & that being an unfamiliar sensation. I had hoped I would get used to the new sensation. Instead, the problem got worse. So maybe those individual edges do need more rounding off. I will ask about that. The bezels now cut even when my fingers are dry and there is no swelling.

I think it's the band but the inside of the bezels of the band is where I think it's rough. Once it sinks I onto the finger it irritates because the insides are possibly rough. I don't think it's the parts you can see.

 

[starbrite]

OP, did DK do a CAD for you or did you have him rely on this one that you posted in your other thread?


Just wondering because the edge of the shank does look very sharp to me in this one, and if he relied on this design, I can see why the edges are sharp. If he did a different CAD, would you please post it so we can see what the shank looks like in his CAD?

David did 9 of his own CAD's; plus sent me 3 different models. That's why getting things "just right" took so much time.

It was hard to tell more than height and head width from his models. His model software was not as refined as the original jeweler's. But they were not flat shanked. Ditto with his CAD software. His CAD's weren't as easy for me to read as was the original jeweler's. However, I'm still glad that I had him - not her - make me my ring.

The shank in David's design was not supposed to be flat. David has already agreed to correct that mistake. So the "oops" of the flat, sharp shank (if it doesn't effect the head)doesn't need to be rehashed. I only have positive things to say about working with DJ.