Any ring that's worn for long enough, whether it's a family heirloom or the engagement ring that you've been wearing every day for 30 years, will eventually wear thin, particularly on the lower part of the band, or shank. When this happens, the integrity of the entire piece can be compromised, and you may be in danger of losing gemstones or having the ring break completely.
Fortunately, our skilled craftsmen can re-shank your ring and return it to you in like-new condition. We use state of the art tools for all jewelry repair projects like this, and that, coupled with the years of experience we bring to the table, ensures that the quality of our work is second to none.
Re-shanking a ring is a technical but straightforward process that involves removing the old metal and inserting a new section. Below are the general steps we follow for each re-shanking job. However, because each piece is different, every re-shanking job requires a unique set of considerations as well.
There are many situations in which re-shanking a ring makes sense. For instance, if you have a ring that's thinned out through years of regular wear, re-shanking is an important step to take to ensure that it doesn't bend or lose gemstones. And even if your ring isn't especially old, your active lifestyle or other factors may have contributed to the band wearing down quickly, causing it to need some professional attention.
A crack in the band or a gemstone falling out are certainly signs that your ring may need to be re-shanked. But it's better if you don't let it get to that point. Any time you feel like the band of a ring is getting a little thin or you notice that some gemstones are getting loose, it's a good idea to have one of our experts look at it to see if any repairs are in order.
In general, we perform either half or full shank replacements. The type of replacement you need will depend on the extent of the wear and how far it extends up towards the top of the ring. Usually the most worn part will be the very bottom of the shank, and especially if we get to a piece early, we can replace only this half instead of the entire band.
I think multiple years of 5 star reviews on Yelp speaks for itself, but I do want to thank Andrea, Bonnie, Danny and others who assisted us during our ring design process. I couldn't be more pleased with the product, the value, and the amazing service. We checked out a few stores in downtown Seattle before discovering Joseph Jewelry, and the difference in atmosphere was night and day. Every single Joseph Jewelry employee we worked with was friendly, patient, professional, and truly customer-focused.
