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To solder or not solder?

C

Cimbom

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
74
Hi all,

I posted a few days ago regarding my engagement ring which I was having size problems with. My ring (and knuckle) are a size 4.5 but my finger is closer to 3.25-3.5 which means it is quite loose on my finger. The jewellers I've seen have told me that my options are to either have the size enlarged a bit more and have sizing beads put on (which seems pointless to me though I'm not sure) or to have a hinged shank installed.

I am happy to do the latter however my band is quite thin (around 1.8mm or so) and I was told by a jeweller that I can have the hinge installed only if I get the ring soldered to the future wedding band. I'm a bit uncomfortable with doing this but wanted to get some more opinions. The ring is quite pretty and has engraving underneath, on top and on the back of the shank so I would be losing some of that character.

Let me know your ideas. I don't know how to proceed.
 
why not try the sizing beads, they're easy to solder and they can put in larger or smaller beads to accomodate the size difference - if that works well for you then great, if it doesn't they're also trivial to remove and you can try the hinged shank..?
 
With sizing beads, i'd have to get the ring resized as well though. What's the biggest difference they can accommodate? I already have a one size plus difference so wouldn't making the ring bigger negate the effect of having the beads?
 
Where can I buy the horseshoe sizer or does the jeweller just make it? Couldn't find anything on Google. Also, is it static or does it have a spring inside? I presume I would have to have the ring sized up a bit so that it fits in and the ring can be taken off?
 
Cimbom|1289978438|2769672 said:
Where can I buy the horseshoe sizer or does the jeweller just make it? Couldn't find anything on Google. Also, is it static or does it have a spring inside? I presume I would have to have the ring sized up a bit so that it fits in and the ring can be taken off?
Click to expand...

From what I understand it is a flexible piece of metal, so it "opens up" to get over your knuckle then tightens when on your lower finger thus hanging on. Stops spinning too. You would need to find a jeweler to solder it into your ring. With your finger being 1 size smaller than your knuckle, I would think your ring has more than enough room to accommodate the sizer, but you will need to ask a reputable and knowledgable local jeweler.
 
Yup. Horseshoe.
 
So you would need to size up your ring so that it can get over your knuckle and then get the horseshoe sizer placed in the ring so that once your ring is on, the sizer tightens around your finger and keeps it on and stops spinning.
 
Horseshoe sizers don't work well on thin bands, (anything under about 3mm). They tend to bend easily on the upper ends and will end up breaking prematurely where they are soldered at the bottom. If you're going to solder the two bands together and then install the horseshoe inner band it would work fine.

I would go with the sizing beads and ask the jeweler why they have to size the ring up to use them. I generally make these by clipping a tiny piece of gold wire, melting it into a ball and then whacking it with a hammer until it looks like a flat pancake. By varying the thickness of the pancake you can fit these to nearly anything to take up some of the space between the ring and your finger. Sizing beads will also help to the ring from twisting.
 
Well, as it is, my ring barely comes off my finger now. I really need to force it. Adding sizing beads alone will only make it tighter and more difficult, or probably almost impossible to remove. I would need to go up a 1/4 of a size at least. Even though I love my ring, I'm starting to think that maybe the thin band was not a good idea after all.
 
In general, I wouldn't solder.

But, in your case, it really sounds like a horseshoe is the best route because you'll need sizing beads for the wedding band as well. (That's a lot of beads, IMO.) So...I would solder. Your fingers are so tiny!!
 
Cimbom, ammonia, like what's in Windex, will help you get the rings off until you find a solution. It's extremely slippery and an old jewelry store trick.
 
Any alkaline solution works. It is just a soapification of the skin surface oil into soap, so in effect soap.
 
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