I can't tell you how many times someone brings in a Ring that's been
Smashed, Stepped On, Squished, or Sat On. These Rings come in looking Oval,
Flat as a Pancake, and literally in Pieces. They ask if their beautiful Ring can be straightened out again. They say it's been damaged and they can't wear it anymore.
One guy said his hand got smashed in a press at work, and the only thing that saved his fingers was his Ring. The Ring was Bent Up, but his fingers were fine. I've actually heard a lot of stories about people's Rings protecting their hands. Lucky eh?
No matter how your Ring got Smashed, Squashed, or Destroyed, you'll be happy to know, that Yes, it can be straightened out, rounded out, and fixed again!
Jewelers use a combination of Mandrels, Pliers, and Talent to Reshape and Bend your Ring back into proper position again.
Then they fix any Cracks or Stress Marks or Solder Joints that have been Damaged or Broken in the process. All the stones then have to be checked for any Chips or Cracks, which often happens in Smashing situations. New Heads get installed, New Prongs, Retippings, the entire Ring goes through a head to toe inspection. The Durability and Structure has to be checked. Channel Walls may have to be Rebuilt, Straightened or Tightened. Fractured stones may have to be replaced.
I have seen some Wedding Bands get so mangled up that the entire Shank had to be cut off and removed. A brand new one was then soldered on. I have seen some Rings in horrible shape. (One Guy said a Train ran over it!) (How does that happen?) The Jewelers were not able to salvage that one. 99% of them they can. Sometimes it's just not possible. In those circumstances, the Jewelers do the next best thing... They Create a brand new one. Working from the Bits and Pieces left over from the damaged Ring, they Custom Design a new one from the ground up to match it. It's amazing what they can do!
Most Jewelers are miracle workers when it comes to Gold, Diamonds and Gemstones. Most of the times, you'll get your Ring back from the Repair Shop and never even know it's been Damaged. That's the great thing about Jewelry! It's repairable!
Sometimes the process is simple and just takes a day or two to Fix. A little Reshaping, Bending, Soldering, Polishing, and it's good to go.
Other times, when the Ring is highly detailed and highly damaged, repairs could take weeks to accomplish.
Jewelers even accidentally damage Rings themselves. They'll drop a Ring, take a step back to locate it, and CRUNCH! It happens. But that's what Jewelers are for! They Fix things!
So whether you Smash it, Squash it, or get it caught in a Garbage Disposal, it can normally be Repaired and Fixed. It may cost you a Pretty Penny, but where there's a will, there's a way!
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