Jewelry for Special Physical Needs
June 29th, 2012 by enterpriseSome people have a hard time finding jewelry they like that can accommodate their special needs. Usually they wear rings that are comfortable as compared to stylish. Other people have fingers shaped more like a snowman, where the knuckle is larger than the place where a ring rests. This can be because they are very slim, or have knuckles enlarged from injuries or arthritis. The ring has to be sized large enough to go over the knuckle, but once it’s there it has a tendency to spin around and make a nuisance of itself. Often knuckles swell, and the ring is painful or difficult to remove.
One way to make a ring more comfortable is to design it using a modified shank. We call this a Mardon Shank:
You can see the ring pinches in at the waist, and has a heavy bottom to balance the top.
Another time we find special needs with our jewelry is when our hands are dramatically different sizes in different seasons. You can resize your ring every six months however, we strongly discourage it. Resizing your rings is not only expensive, but it wears out your ring! Instead, we recommend people let us install a temporary helper called a ring guard. This is an inexpensive alternative that can be adjusted yourself. When the weather cools down and your fingers are smaller, you can simply take it off.
Traditionally jewelers made rings spin less with what they call sizing aides. These are either beads or U-shaped gold parts that are soldered into the bottom of a ring. These can work very well, but some people find them uncomfortable. Even sizing aides don’t help someone with a very large knuckle.
The best option for a large knuckle is a ring that opens to go on, then closes comfortable and securely on the smaller part of the finger. Most often we use the Fingermate to accommodate those rings that don’t fit.
An expandable shank is often incorporated into a custom design, but we also add them onto existing rings. You don’t have to leave your rings in your jewelry box if your knuckles have become enlarged, we can make your rings wearable again!
Find jewelry to fit all of your special needs at Mardon Jewelers gallery. Browse our website, call our store at (951) 682-2325, or shop our historic Mission Inn location in Riverside Mall.
