How to fix a bent bangle or ring | ALL YOU NEED |

How to fix a bent bangle or ring | ALL YOU NEED |

How to fix a bent bangle or ring | ALL YOU NEED |

They say you can take an Indian out of India, but you cant take India out of an Indian. Being an indi damsel myself, I love my bangles and rings and wear than more than often. What this means is that I have had to deal with bent rings and bangles too often, and have wondered for long as to how to fix bent bangles or rings.

Here is what I have learnt about fixing bent rings and bangles, and have compiled my learnings for your benefit!

Why do rings change shape?

Bangles and rings which are composed of softer metals such as yellow gold are amongst the easiest to bend. In these, the higher the karatage , the more pliable the bangle or the ring becomes and can be bent with even low pressure thrusts. Another factor that increases the 
how to fix bent rings or bangles

Source : Don’s Jewelry And Design

1. The Metal Composition

Bangles and rings which are composed of softer metals such as yellow gold are amongst the easiest to bend. In these, the higher the karatage , the more pliable the bangle or the ring becomes and can be bent with even low pressure thrusts. Another factor that increases the 

Do silver rings or bangles bend?

The answer is ‘YES’,  bangles, rings and other circumferencing jewelry pieces crafted out of silver are susceptible to bending. This is because silver is one of the softer metals out of which jewelry is made, is highly malleable, and has an appreciable heat and electrical conductivity. However the degree of susceptibility to bending depends largely on the composition of silver in the jewelry piece.

  Heat Conducting Properties of Silver 

Silver perhaps the highest heat and electrical conducting properties of all metals known , which are used to make jewelry. This makes it generate and allow the passing of a lot of heat owing to friction when worn, making it soft and easy to bend eventually. 

  Purity of silver

The purity of silver ring or bangle you wear is of prime consequence in deciding its susceptibility to bending. This is because pure silver is a really soft and malleable metal, and the more you have it in your jewelry piece, the more the chances of it bending. It has been generally found that rings, bangle or other pieces of jewelry with a higher quantity of silver( higher than 0.925 ) , are much more susceptible to bending . This means sterling silver grade rings,bands and bangles are the threshold , when it comes to buying bending resistant silver jewelry.

To know about the pure silver composition of different variants of silver jewelry, please refer to this concise table on silver variants and purity I created on the topic. 

 

2. Sub Standard Designed Shanks or bands

The shank of the ring gets worn off owing to the withering of the composing metal, over prolonged use. While not so much for rings as they do not move, bangles generate heat owing to their loose movements around the hand , which can in turn catalyse the thinning of the shank .

3. Resizing jobs on rings and bangles

Every time you go to your jeweler with your ring or bangle to have them resized, there is a sizeable loss of metal matter form them. This is because resizing of the ring involves cutting the ring or bangle and then soldering it back into shape. Even the top up jobs of filling and polishing can lead to a considerable thinning of the metal from the shank and other portions of the ring or bangle.
 

I found this article really helpful in knowing about the process of ring and bangle resizing, and how it could leave my rings and bangle much more susceptible to bending and breaking.

So what does it mean, then? Resizing of rings and bangles leaves them thinned and with weaker spots structurally. This means that more the number of times a ring or bangle has been resized, the greater is the threat of bending they have..

4. A Loosely fit ring or bangle

I was lazy enough to not have resized a few rings in the past, and discovered that this is an important factor that determines bending! A ring that is too loose on your fingers tends to be more susceptible to bending and breaking. This is primarily because the ring does not get the support and cushion of your finger, and hence faces structural impacts when you wear it. 
 

How did my bangle or ring get bent?

Well the main reason why bangles and bracelets get bent is the application of uneven forces along its structure, which may come as intermittent thrusts. This may happen when you lift heavy weights while wearing the bangles and the weight sits over them, or when the bangles collide with strong and hard surfaces. Rings and bangles which are composed of softer metals (high gold purity for example ) are generally more prone to such bending. Another rather queer reason why rings may bend is if you wear spacers too often on them.

Can bent rings be fixed ?

Largely , bent rings are deformities to the circular structure or the shank of the ring, and they can be brought back into shape. But the ease with which this can be done and the extent of reclamation depends on factors such as the metal hardness of the ring constituents, the simplicity of design of the ring and the nature of the bending itself. In essence, rings composed with softer metals and having simpler designs with not many gems are easy to fix from their bent state.

 

FIXING OF BENT RINGS

Cool, so now that we understand what may cause you rings or bracelets to bend, lets look at the remedy side of things. There are two broad ways you can approach fixing a bent bangle , bracelet or a ring – do it at home yourself, or take it to the jeweller for a more professional treatment.

How do you fix a bent ring at home?

A very straight forward way, which may not be very professional though, of fixing a bent band or ring at home is to use hot water and  soften the ring or bracelet metal, to then put it back to shape. This works for rings and bracelets which have a high proportion of softer metals in them, and they can then be reshaped using a perfectly circular cylinder like a pen or rod, to put them back into shape.

An interesting showcase of this is in the video below from StarsetMoonfire, showing you how this is practically achieved at home. Thanks Shoby 🙂 ! 

How to make the decision

The choice most appropriate method to go about fixing a bent ring or bangle depends upon a few factors.

1. GEMS IN SHANK – This is perhaps a black and white criterion- if there are gems cast into the shank, then its best not to try fixing the bent ring at home, and rather go to a professional jeweller. This is because the last thing you want is you mandrel or mallet harming the jewels or gems in any way. 

2. DESIGN OF THE RING – For simpler designs , wherein the shank is either devoid of any gems or potrusions, you can try to fix the bending at home. For designs where the size or expanse of the gemstone is larger, its best not to assume the risk of dethroning it off the prongs and hence heading to the jeweller is the 

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