I have a customer who wants a special order ring that is about 8mm
wide in the back, and about 20mm wide in the front-- one edge
extends into a point that lies on the knuckle. It is a fairly
massive ring of silver and gold.
She has a slightly enlarged knuckle and has asked my opinion of the
possibility of making the ring overlap to be adjustable, like cheap
rings. My gut tells me this is a bad idea, but I’m interested in
what you folks have to say. I would be more inclined to consider
making it open in the back, like a cuff bracelet. Has anyone tried
this?
I have recommended making it the usual way, and adjusting the size
as needed over time, but the texture of the ring will make this a
bit of a pain as well.
The best way to deal with a “slightly” enlarged knuckle is to put
sizing balls. Make the ring 1/2 size or more larger than her finger,
and then solder two small beads (melted metal balls) inside the
shank at about 5 and 7 o’clock. They will slide past her knuckle,
and then hold the ring on her finger - make sure they are polished
and soft. The quality (and expensive) way is to use a fingerfit,
fingermate, or similar. They are hinged with a little catch on the
bottom, so they open up and then snap closed. These are not the
sliding shank gadgets - they are precision built and work quite
well, if installed correctly. An open shank like a cuff bracelet is
destined to break.
The width of this ring will mandate a fairly heavy gauge (20 or so)
which will hold shape after it is hardened. The by-pass design
overlapping with the adjustment on the front is likely to snag
things. If the ends extend between the fingers, that snagging becomes
less of a problem. However, I’m not sure that would be an option if
the portion extending over the knuckle is an end.
Could the design be adjusted so that the ends by-pass each other and
encircle the ring shank - like the famed elephant hair bracelet?
That would allow some “give” over the knuckle and for future
expansion.
Just a thought. You’re so creative, I’ll bet you can make this work!
She has a slightly enlarged knuckle and has asked my opinion of
the possibility of making the ring overlap to be adjustable, like
cheap rings. My gut tells me this is a bad idea, but I'm interested
in what you folks have to say. I would be more inclined to consider
making it open in the back, like a cuff bracelet. Has anyone tried
this?
Hello, My first post here…
Yes, I have made a cuff ring and not only think it is aesthetically
interesting but comfortable to wear. I too have a large knuckle and
hate the loose feel that I invariably have with regular rings. The
ring I made was out of gauge 8 round wire and had a really nice
architectural balance to it. However, if you use sheet metal, you
will have to contend with corners ( depending on your design) that
will either pinch/poke the skin or snag. I also had to work with
just the right opening width: too narrow and it would grab my skin,
too wide and it looked like it wasn’t really a ring. more like a
clamp.
I do agree that a wrap-over looks cheap unless you build it into the
top part of the ring as a design element instead of just a function.
The best way to deal with a "slightly" enlarged knuckle is to put
sizing balls.
Normally, yes. But this ring is very wide-- about 10mm at its
narrowest point, in the back. I don’t think balls will work out in
this case-- will they?
The best way to deal with a “slightly” enlarged knuckle is to put
sizing balls.
Normally, yes. But this ring is very wide-- about 10mm at its
narrowest point, in the back. I don't think balls will work out in
this case-- will they?
the balls often do still work. They function not by making the ring
significantly smaller, but by making the inside of the shank no
longer a smooth round hole. the balls indent a bit into the skin,
keeping the still-slightly-too-large ring from turning so much on the
finger.
Or, you can adapt the idea to a wider shank. Nothing in the idea of
“sizing balls” insists that they must be round balls. Instead of a
ball, lay a piece of half round wire across the inside of the shank,
or two of them, same as the balls. the result will be more like the
speed bumps put into the streets sometimes to slow down traffic. You
can use half round wire, or rectangle wire and then file off the
protruding corners on the inside to achieve about the same thing. Or
come up with some other variation if you like.
Personally, I like the speed bumps better than fully round balls,
which I find to be too harsh feeling for some people. In narrower
shanks, rather than a ball, I put in what amounts to a slightly
larger diameter half ball, so it’s a hemisphere sticking up inside
the shank, not a fully round ball. Catches less, and traps dirt less
too. The height inside the shank remains about the same as you’d get
with a little ball. More metal is added to make it the smoother
hemisphere shape. Makes it more comfortable.
Have you looked at the variety of adjustable shanks available from
Southeast Findings, Inc? Interesting mechanics. Take a look at
http://www.sefindings.com/images/Shanks05/Shanks2.jpg
These aren’t really adjustable. If you want a shank that opens and
locks onto the finger, you might try http://www.superringfit.com
There is one possible solution. It’s difficult to describe, but not
really hard to make and possibly more appropriate for this situation.
However, it made not be the most aesthetically satisfying solution.
It’s a sort of hinged wire frame on the underside of the shank that
clips in place and puts a little tension on the finger. I will make a
quick sketch for you and email it to you.
Instead of a ball, lay a piece of half round wire across the inside
of the shank, or two of them, same as the balls. the result will be
more like the speed bumps put into the streets sometimes to slow
down traffic.
Thank you, Peter! I think this one’s a winner! Is there a rule of
thumb about how much larger than the actual finger size you make the
ring when using these?
I’ll mention this just because nobody else has: Alan Revere’s book
“Ring Repair” has a few sections on tweaking rings to deal with the
“enlarged knuckle” problem:
I’ve done the sizing beads, and came to the same conclusions as Peter
about 1/2 rounds being better than full balls. I’ve also done the
spring insert and found it effective but not to everyone’s taste.
What I have done for many years for people with a large knuckle is
to make a piece of flat stock approximately.5mm to.75mm thick that is
the same width as the shank. I cut a piece that will extend
approximately 1/2 way around the inside of the shank. In other words
it will cover the inside of the shank from the bottom area and end on
either side near the shoulders of the shank. I will round off the
ends for a good look and to feel comfortable.
I will then form the piece to fit and solder it with a small solder
area at the bottom only. This will allow the wearer to lift the sides
and ends if needed for additional grip on the finger.
You do need to size the ring so that it is too large for the person
before you attach this piece. The thickness of the metal, the width
of the ring and the size of the persons knuckle all play a part but
in general I have found that sizing a ring with a 2mm to 3mm wide
shank and using a piece of gold or silver that is approximately.6mm
thick requires the ring to be sized approximately one ( 1 ) size too
large.
I have referred to this as a butterfly strap since it looks
something like a butterfly with it’s wings lifted and my clients love
it and the name. They also love the comfort of the attachment
compared to balls as well as the cost compared to an expansion type
shank attachment.
Instead of a ball, lay a piece of half round wire across the
inside of the shank, or two of them, same as the balls. the result
will be more like the speed bumps put into the streets sometimes to
slow down traffic.
Thank you, Peter! I think this one's a winner! Is there a rule of
thumb about how much larger than the actual finger size you make
the ring when using these?
These, like the sizing balls, don’t really change the actual finger
size all that much. Mostly, the seem to change the perception of
whether the ring is too loose, by reducing the tendency for the ring
to slip and spin around the finger. I might make the right slightly
looser, perhaps an 1/8th of a size or so, if it seemed to be snug
going on before installing the bumps, but if the customer could
already get it on without trouble, I often don’t change the size.
You kind of have to figure this on an individual basis, depending on
how much bulk you’re adding, just like with the balls. If you need a
substantial size speed bump, you might adjust the size up a little
more. But don’t go too far, or you’ll have negated the effect of the
speed bumps.
I would agree with the selection of superfit rings..
Superfit requires the use of the entire shank as the spring. This
becomes a problem, as all springs required uniform thickness along
their length to spread the forces of bending evenly. When a head is
attached to 1/2 of the spring, that half can no longer react to
bending forces regularly and all of the bending is forced to be done
by the other half. If the ring is particularly small, that half of
the shank will bend permanently and not return. This all results in a
loose/sloppy fit. It can be tightened until the cows come home, but
will soon result in a sloppy fit. Compound this with the fact that
the lock is basically a friction fit and failure is a regular result
with small and or platinum shanks (which do not make good springs).
Use some care when trying these out.
