20 Adventures at the Bench: Tricks to Overcome a Jeweler’s Daily Challenges
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Squared Away
IDENTIFYING THE SIZE OF A SQUARE RING
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W
hen a square-shaped ring is placed on a round ring mandrel, the ring has
gaps (1), making a correct measurement by this method impossible. Here’s
a little trick that makes it possible to quickly and easily identify the exact
ring size of a square ring.
If you have a square mandrel handy, place the ring onto the mandrel and mark the
exact location (2). (If a square mandrel is not available, roll a piece of paper into a cone
shape and secure it with tape. Place the ring onto the paper cone until it fits tightly, and
mark the paper [3].)
Cut a strip of Post-It paper that is as wide as the ring (4). (I prefer to use Post-It because
it has an adhesive strip on one end, which will make it easy to connect the ends.) Wrap
the paper around the square mandrel or paper cone where the size has been marked and
press the ends together (5). The adhesive connects the two ends of your paper ring. Finally,
gently slide the paper ring onto a round mandrel and read off the correct ring size (6).
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