Reshank Rings
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.
Process Overview
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.
- The first step is to identify the areas that are the most worn and remove them. This is done with a highly-focused laser that can cut through the ring in exactly the place we want without damaging any of the surrounding gemstones or structures.
- Next, we'll select a piece of matching metal and cut it to fit the space.
- We'll shape and attach the new section of the shank, smoothing the connections to ensure a seamless appearance once the process is complete.
- Finally, we'll confirm that all gemstones are secure in their settings, and we'll polish the piece to look like new again.
Reasons for Re-shanking
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.
Types of Shank Replacement
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.
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I've been meaning to hold off on posting my review until the wedding bands for myself and my fiancé were finished, but the staff at Joseph went above and beyond my expectations today, so I'm posting my review early. When my fiancé and I first started talking about engagement rings, we knew that our primary requirement was wanting ethically sourced diamonds. Using that as our starting point, I began researching local jewelers to see what was available (since we wanted to be able to view our jewelry in person if possible), and we discovered that Joseph Jewelry was only a block away from our home and had fantastic reviews. After visiting many stores online, and viewing a few in person, we decided that Joseph seemed the most reliable and had an incredibly impressive array of designs online (which are just as impressive in person). The fact that our design would be custom and unique to us was the icing on the cake. Erich is our closest point of contact, and he's always been great about walking us through details and educating us every step of the way (whether about the design process or the materials used). We never felt pressured or rushed in any way during any of our many visits. If Erich was busy with another client or not in that day, Tony would step in - and he's equally fantastic. Lex was our designer, and had a really quick turnaround time on any changes we requested to our engagement ring design, as well as good advice on alternatives if my requests would compromise the structure and strength of the jewelry itself. Safe to say, the staff never makes you feel like a nuisance - they listen to your thoughts, concerns, and always do their utmost to make their clients happy. As for the custom jewelry designing process itself - it's pretty cool, as others have noted. There's really nothing quite like the combination of seeing the digital renderings and getting to feel a physical wax mold to give you a sense of how the design will look and feel in the end. It's as close to getting to see an actual product as you can get before the jewelry is actually made, helping you ensure that you're truly happy with the design. (And even then, when I actually got to see the final ring in person? So, so much more gorgeous than I was expecting. I don't get excited all that easily, and I was giddy when I finally got to wear the ring.) The experience made it easy for us to decide to return to the same store for our wedding bands. And the second time we went to brainstorm on my fiancé's band, Tony also offered to clean my ring (for free) while we were there. I got to see their steam cleaner, which was super efficient. But adding to all of this, this past weekend I somehow managed to clumsily dent my ring. I was fully prepared to have to leave my ring at the store and pay to restore it, and was feeling pretty guilty for not being more careful. I popped by the store, and Erich immediately set my mind at ease, saying it was no problem. He headed to the back room to talk with other staff, and within minutes, they had my ring back out, polished and cleaned beautifully, and I literally can't tell which side of my ring had the scratch anymore. To me, this is truly service at its finest. Basically - service and style make all the difference. Could not recommend Joseph more if you're shopping around for engagement and wedding rings.
