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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.

  1. 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.
  2. Next, we'll select a piece of matching metal and cut it to fit the space.
  3. We'll shape and attach the new section of the shank, smoothing the connections to ensure a seamless appearance once the process is complete.
  4. 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.