mom’s white gold channel ring improved via reconstruction

channel ring sitting on top of Raimie's design sketches
top view of fabricated pearl channel ring
channel ring sitting on top of Raimie's design sketches

moms wedding ring was originally a channel band with small pearls set all around the finger. the problem with it was the seed pearls kept falling out and it was uncomfortable to wear. so mom tucked the ring away…

many years later she gifted the ring to her daughter who loves that she has the original wedding band. same problems, though – lost pearls and discomfort in wearing. so daughter tucked the ring away…

this is where i entered the picture.

the daughter was a repair referral for a different ring. in chatting after she picked up that repair (very pleased, by the way), she mentioned she couldn’t wear her mother’s wedding ring because it was uncomfortable and the pearls were not secure.

my jeweler’s brain began to whirl!

the ring was uncomfortable because the milgrain or tiny beaded edge above and below the channel was bulky between the fingers, and the beaded edge cut into the adjacent fingers. my original thought was to fix it, to “roll” the edges into the channel leaving enough room for the eight remaining pearls. however, that did not work because of the age of the metal; the gauge of the metal made it too brittle and too thin to withstand the heating or annealing required to shape it. my solution was to add wire to fill the channel and create a solid shank but leaving enough room to reset the remaining pearls. thus and so, instead of “fix” we decided to “reconstruct.”

we customized the ring by fabricating a new one

we filled the channel with white gold wire, welded the channel edges to the wire and removed the milgrain edging. next, we created a channel for the remaining pearls but kept the original milgrain edging.

the end result is a newly fabricated ring with the look of mom’s original wedding band, but now comfortable to wear and without the worry of losing the small seed pearls. although the original pearls were not of superior quality, they were good pearls and they were mom’s; so we used those for sentimental reasons.

  • 14k white gold channel wedding band with full round 2.50 mm cultured Akoya seed pearls from mom’s original ring
  • Location: West Hartford, CT

the reconstructed ring is comfortable to wear and a reminder of mom

final pendant made from family rings

unbroken circle (diamond pendant from family rings)

masonic emblem pendant made from old pieces

the melt (rings converted to a pendant)

Fly with Me Necklace

Fly With Me Statement Necklace

heart pendant repurposed from earring is reversible
engagement ring redesigned from Nana Rose’s wedding set
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