WHAT ARE FLAT, BOTTOMED RING SHANKS?

Some rings have them, some rings don’t…

Flat, squared off shanks and bands.

What are they good for?

Is there a purpose for these flat shanks, or is it just a designer thing?

Well, let me tell you…

It’s both.

There is a design issue to these wonderful looking rings, but believe it or not, there is also a purpose.

The design issue, is style.

Trendy designs with elaborate details are a jewelers calling card. Big name brands, with big bold, unique designs create desire and impact. Jewelers like to do things to make their rings stand out from the crowd and look different.

Some high profile designers put diamonds inside their shanks.

Some put diamonds on the side of their bands also (see picture).

Others engrave their initials in the shanks.

Some have extremely high heads and mountings (the gemstones and diamonds are hoisted an inch off your finger).

Some designers work with combinations of metals, like silver and gold together. Others like to use multi-colored sapphires (rainbow sapphires), or laser-cut gems.

The bottom line is:

Jewelers and designers do it for looks and style.

They flatten the bands on the bottom to make their rings look cool and appealing.

It’s a work of art.

But with rings and jewelry, everything is art. Designing neat ring mountings that bring a jeweler’s personality to life is what jewelry is all about. It’s the need to be creative and different and to make a stunning statement.

So what is the purpose of a flat shank?

What purpose could there possibly be to having a ring with a squared off bottom shank?

A flat shank keeps your ring from spinning.

It’s true.

A squared off band helps keep your ring upright and keeps it from twisting, spinning and turning on your finger.

The square edges keep the ring where it should be, because the edges are thicker, not rounded, so the ring doesn’t have any room to move across the finger.

The edges of the flat band stay at the bottom of the ring where it’s held tight. If you don’t believe me, try it.

It works.

It feels different though:

Flat bands do feel a different because it’s thicker down there and heavier. It takes up more room as well, and may not feel as comfortable as a regular rounded ring.

But, out of all the women that buy these types of rings, I’ve never have any one of them complain about it!

In fact, most women rave about it.

They like how they look, they like how they feel, they wouldn’t wear anything else.

Flat bottoms for men?

I do find it odd that I’ve only seen this on women’s rings.

I’m sure someone makes flat bottomed rings for men, but I’ve never seen any.

Why only women?

Because most women’s rings are usually the ones that are top heavy. Engagement rings and diamond or gemstone rings tend to be heavy on top with rocks, heads and prongs. These mountains of gemstones like to spin and twist on the finger.

Top heavy rings are big contenders for flat bottomed rings.

Top heavy?

So if your ring is top heavy and wants to spin, you may consider having the jeweler put on a flat bottom.

It may keep your ring standing straight up…

Right where it belongs.

Cheers! :)