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Original poster

Help - has anyone had to have their wedding ring cut off?

23 replies

RustyBear · 02/04/2007 19:40

I?ve been putting this off for ages, because I thought I?d lose weight again, but I now have to face the fact that I can?t get my wedding ring off, the skin underneath is red and shiny and if it gets hot again this summer, it will really cut into me & maybe get infected. So I?m going to have to get it cut off. But I don?t know where to get it done ? would a jeweller do it ? or will I have to go to the doctor? I?d rather go to a jeweller if I can, as it?s a patterned ring & I think they might be less likely to damage it ? but would they be able to enlarge it, or should I just ask DH to get me a new one? I?ve been married almost 27 years & my wedding anniversary is in May, so it would be nice to have the new ring then.
Has anyone had to do this?

OP posts:
Quootiepie · 02/04/2007 19:42

My mum had it done, jewelers I think did it. She didn't have it put back together as she was divorced, but I am sure they could.

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 02/04/2007 19:44

Some jewellers will do it Rusty. They'll generally try to not damage it but if you want it made bigger I'm not sure they'd be able to restore the pattern.

If all else fails it's off to the Fire Station. Ask nicely and they'll do it for you.

lemonaid · 02/04/2007 19:45

You might be able to get it off with dental floss (see here -- this worked for me when I was both fat and pregnant.

Otherwise, I'd go for the jeweller. They will normally have a special tool for cutting rings by snipping out a millimetre or so so that the ends can be teased apart. You may have trouble getting the pattern matched when making it bigger, but they can give you advice on that.

christywhisty · 02/04/2007 19:45

I had mine cut off at the jewellers, but it wasn't patterned. I have very fat fingers anyway. When I was 7 and half stone and an old size 8 I was still a U fitting and both times I was pregnant my fingers were huge. I have also put weight on over the years. I had it repaired once but the engraving inside has now gone.

losty · 02/04/2007 19:47

yes when I was last pg - with DS2 3 years ago. And then I had them made larger and now they are too big

Jaba · 02/04/2007 19:48

Hi,some jewellers have a tool for cutting rings of but it depends on how thick the ring is and how tight on your finger so you may have to go to the drs. The ring could be enlarged but to do this they have to add a piece of gold so as its patterned you will ahve a bit thats plain becuase they wont be able to reproduce the pattern so some jewellers may not be happy to do it. HTH

Original poster
RustyBear · 02/04/2007 20:00

Thanks very much everyone -I've tried various lubricants like washing up liquid without luck. I'll give lemonaids link a try, but I'm not very hopeful tbh - my knuckles are pretty big, so I'll try the local jeweller after that I was very skinny when I got married - so the ring was very small.

Thank you all.

OP posts:
NuttyMuffins · 02/04/2007 20:02

My friend had hers cut off at a jewellers the other week. They said to leave it then for a week incase the finger was swollen and then go back and get it measured. They are then going to add a peice into her old one.

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 02/04/2007 20:02

Rusty - have you tried vegetable/olive oil?

Original poster
RustyBear · 02/04/2007 20:34

OK - just tried the dental floss thing, but chickened out before it got to the widest part because it hurt like hell & my finger was going a most peculiar colour.
I may try again when the swelling has gone down - but how long can a finger survive without a blood supply?

OP posts:
maxandmonty · 02/04/2007 20:41

try vaseline.....worked a treat for me when my fat old fingers swelled up when I was preg....

SoupDreggon · 02/04/2007 20:44

Try holding your hand in the air for a good while so any swelling goes down and then try with vaseline etc? Hand under the cold tap should make your fingers shrink (more than the ring I think!)

HumphreysYummyChoccyEggCorner · 02/04/2007 20:57

Yes-I was going to suggest ice cold water using ice cubes. Works a treat. Beaverbrooks were able to stretch my wedding ring up a size.

Original poster
RustyBear · 05/04/2007 15:17

OK - the deed is done! I had it cut off at a jewellers this morning. They said (like to Nutty's friend) come back in a week when it's settled down & they'd measure me for an enlagrement.

I'm not sure though, as it's a patterned ring, I might just get them to stick it back together & I'll wear it on a chain, & get DH to get me a new one....

OP posts:
FoghornLeghorn · 05/04/2007 15:18

My Sil had to have hers ut off after she'd given birth to my nephew - don't know if it was something to do with her having a -Setion but she was very swollen afterwards so had no choice

Kelly1978 · 05/04/2007 15:29

my mum had to have hers cut off. She ended up buying a new one, took the chance to get soemthing a little bit nicer than what they could afford when they got married. She did also look into companies that would melt it down and make a new ring from that, there are probably some on the net somewhere if you googled.

Cessie12 · 24/11/2022 18:13

I had a fall which has caused a double fracture to my wrist so as precaution I had to have my rings cut off by the hospital, my question is my wedding ring is 52 years old and was diamond cut,is there anyway I can have it repaired please

Original poster
RustyBear · 27/11/2022 13:52

Strange to see this thread revived 15 years later - I hadn’t realised it was so long since I had my ring cut off!

In the end, I didn’t try to have it repaired, DH got me a new ring for our wedding anniversary, and I took the ring and my late mum’s wedding ring to a local jeweller and they made me this necklace from them both, which DD wore at her wedding as her ‘something borrowed’

Ironically, I have now lost my excess weight, and my new ring is now rather loose!

Help - has anyone had to have their wedding ring cut off?
OP posts:
KatieVI · 23/05/2023 12:39

Just been googling how to get a ring cut off and resized & it brought me to this link. Arthritis is causing some of my finger joints to swell, shortly off on holiday to a hotter climate and thinking I really need to get my wedding ring cut off. Do you remember, was it scary and did it hurt? 😔 I’m a bit of a coward. At least mine is a simple gold band.

lieselotte · 23/05/2023 13:13

It's funny, I was looking at this thread recently because one of my rings (not a wedding ring) got stuck. I really couldn't get it to come off and was thinking I was going to have put my hand in the freezer :)

Not helped by the fact I was at my mum's and her house is always very warm. But in the end, two days later, I washed my hands in cold water and it moved.

Getting your hand as cold as possible helps, but it may not work if you have arthritis.

In my case it is simply that this particular ring is too big for one finger but too small for the next, I need to get it adjusted. I had to force it on in the first place - very very stupid.

KatieVI · 23/05/2023 16:58

It’s the arthritis, in the footsteps of my Mum, which is causing the problem 😞

Cessie12 · 23/05/2023 22:53

Hi I had to have my wedding ring cut off after a fall and fractured my wrist. The only thing that hurt was I have had it in my finger since the day I married my husband which is 52 years ago. I had to have it resized

KatieVI · 24/05/2023 16:18

Thank you! I plucked up courage and had it done. Already the finger is feeling less sore and looking a little less swollen. The lady at the jewellers who did it was lovely too. No charge, and popped my ring in a little bag. Whatever I decide to do after waiting to see how the finger settles I will be going back there.

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