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It’s a panicky situation. Maybe it’s hot outside, and your finger is swollen. Perhaps you tried on a friend’s ring, and her fingers are slightly smaller than yours. Whatever the reason, you need to remove the ring, but it won’t budge.
First off, take a deep breath. One of the following remedies will probably help you remove that engagement ring without damage to your finger or the jewellery. And if not, well, we have a solution for that problem, too.
Whether you are aware of it or not, your finger muscles are tensed up. Consciously try to relax your finger and hand to the point it gets “floppy”.
A straightforward method of reducing swelling is to raise your hand above your heart. Better yet, hold your hand up above your head for five or ten minutes.
Have you ever noticed that your rings are looser when you’re cold? Banish swollen fingers quickly by submerging your hand in cold water, ice water if possible.
If you use this method, be sure to protect the ring from nearby drains. Instead of plunging your hand into a sink full of cold water, fill up a bowl, drop in some ice cubes, and then let those swollen digits soak until the ring slips off effortlessly.
Reduce as much friction as possible between your skin and the precious metal. Dish soap, with its ability to cut grease, works well for this strategy. Just make sure you use a soap that won’t hurt your skin or the ring.
After you’ve added soap, twist the ring around on your finger until it slips over your knuckle.
For this method, you’ll need a ribbon, a string or a piece of dental floss. Here’s how it works:
You can repeat these steps several times if it doesn’t work right away.
If none of these remedies helps, you may have to cut the ring off and have it repaired.
Doctors have several other tools they can use to remove rings, and in some cases, ring removal may be medically necessary, primarily if it affects blood circulation.
Cutting a ring off isn’t the end of the world. Jewellers know how to fix this problem and can shine your ring up as good as new.
Once the ring has been successfully removed from your finger, it’s time to think about resizing. You don’t want to go through that ordeal again!
To enlarge a ring, jewellers cut through the shank and add enough metal to make it a perfect fit. After soldering and polishing it up, you can safely wear the ring without worries.
Some rings are trickier than others to resize. Tension settings, with their delicate balance, may require significant work. And eternity bands, with their row of diamonds, could require the addition of additional stones. For most rings, however, resizing is quick and relatively inexpensive.
Specialised jewellery insurance like Q Report is one of the best ways to cover your engagement ring from damage or loss like this.
With a Q Report policy, get 12 months worldwide cover, the option to return to your original jeweller for replacement and repair, a low fixed excess of $100 if you need to make a claim, and a free annual revaluation of your items.
See how little it can cost to insure your jewellery - receive a Q Report quote today.
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