Ring cracked when resizing - reshank or repair?

[panda87]

I'm having a bit of an emotional v. practical dilemma, as per title..

Long story short: A handed down ring (gold with centre stones) cracked during resizing. Should I repair only = weaker ring but more original, or reshank = cut away old band and make a new thicker one?

Long story long: I was given a ring by a close family friend, which I believe was passed down to her - so it's old and worn. Its a really delicate yellow-gold band with a small cluster of diamonds.

I was given some money to get the ring resized as it was too big for any finger. So I took it to a jeweler last week and asked if it could be resized - no problem, it only needed to go down about 1 size.

Yesterday I got a phonecall to say the ring had cracked when the band was being bent in. I have the option on repairing the crack and resizing, or reshanking and building up the band to make it stronger.

I realise a repair only will mean the ring is weak and I won't be able to wear it, and it may break again quite easily. But I'm worried that reshanking will mean its not the original ring anymore..

I do value sentiment and historical value so Im leaning toward repair only. But I also dont want it to break and it was obvioulsy intended for me to wear since I was given money for resizing.

 

[VRBeauty]

If reshankking means the difference between being able to wear the ring and not, I'd definitely have it reshanked. Think of it this way: even the original owner was looking at the top of the ring, not the shank, when she was wearing the ring! A dear friend recently had her mother's engraved signet ring re-shanked so she could wear it - the original shank was so thin that it was severely bent. She's now able to wear her mother's ring, which I've no doubt is exactly what her mother would have wanted.

Do make sure your jeweler can match the gold color well. Several years ago I had a ring reshanked, and the shank is a slightly different shade than the original ring (which has just a slight rosy tint). I still wear and like the ring - the difference is very subtle, and the central motif covers enough finger that the transition points don't show when I'm wearing it. But I do wish the shank matched the central motif a bit better and that I had thought to discuss this before having the work done. (I now take my good jewelry exclusively to a local jeweler who is meticulous about such details. In fact, the same jeweler who I recommended to my friend with the signet ring!)

 

[panda87]

Thanks so much for your reply! I called the jeweler today and asked about the colour matching - he said since its 18k yellow it will match. And he will only build up as much as he has to. He was very reassuring so I feel better about it now, and look forward to having it to wear