QuestionHello Thomas. Hope your vacation was great. Quick question and hopefully just as easy to answer. Can a 14k Electroform ring be sized. The band is strong in the back but I can tell it is somewhat hollow by the sound it makes. Thanks so much!
AnswerAlice, I very much appreciate kind words about vacation. I needed the time off and was stressed. Yes, thanks again.
As for electroformed jewelry, some is thick enough to work on and repair and some is simply too thin. I have actually sized a hollow shank (shank being the band part) ring. Was it a pain to do? Yes, yes, and yes indeed it was! The real problem was bending the band gently without putting crinkles in any of it. This one went larger in size. I used a solid piece of metal to braze into the open place, as would be done in a normal sizing job. Finishing was done very gently.
Why did I do it? This is the kicker: We did not know the ring shank was hollow when the job was taken in. Just as soon as I did the slightest bit of sawing on it I knew..oops. Well, it was to try and do it or repair it and return to the customer. I knew if it would open up ok to a larger size that a solid piece could be brazed in place.
Do I recommend trying to have a hollow ring sized? I must say no. In the first place, there is not a way ahead of time to know how thick the metal actually is. There is not a way to know how easily the band will bend in or out or if it will immediately be ruined.
Some rings are not hollow all the way around, the hollow areas being at the top half to save on precious metal and keep the prices down. Generally, the work is guess work. A jeweler could try and drill a very tiny hole in the bottom of the shank and see if solid or hollow. Then the question is to proceed or not. As I said, we cannot tell if the shank will bend neatly or crumple. (The tiny little hole can be filled and hidden away.)
Alice, this is the answer. You have my thoughts on it. Possible is possible with lots of iffy. The best course overall is not to attempt a re-size.
Thanks for the question. This was a good one. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
