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How to Avoid Ring Avulsion with Malleable Metals

How to Avoid Ring Avulsion with Malleable Metals

Isn’t it always fascinating how celebrities can bring light to certain issues? At Brian Gavin Diamonds, we have always been acutely aware of and sensitive to ring avulsion, a condition that put Jimmy Fallon in ICU for two weeks and in a large cast around his left hand. While this may seem a bit scary, especially if you’re in the market for purchasing an engagement ring or have recently proposed, at Brian Gavin Diamonds, we use malleable metals like, 18-carat gold and platinum, which allow give when struck so this would never happen to any of our customers.

Ring avulsion, which results in over 150,000 incidents of amputations in United States each year, is caused by a sudden pull on a ring finger resulting in a large scale of soft tissue injuries; this can only happen when a ring is made of hard metals, not the precious metals that we use at Brian Gavin Diamonds.

After receiving the below inquiry from a customer just this morning, the Brian Gavin Diamonds team wants its customers to know that we are ready to respond to any inquiries surrounding ring avulsion.

David’s ring avulsion question this morning:

I would like to propose to my girlfriend, but don't want to get her a ring that could tear her finger off if the ring were to get snagged. I am planning to purchase a Qalo silicone ring for myself when the time comes, but my girlfriend wants a "pretty diamond ring". Would you be able to make a ring, with a diamond, that would release from the finger before breaking the finger? (i.e. if the ring was snagged) If not, would you be able to make a setting for a diamond that could be wrapped around one of Qalo's silicon rings? Any metal used would need to be hypoallergenic. My girlfriend used to think I was crazy, but in light of the recent Jimmy Fallon incident with getting his ring snagged and almost losing a finger, I think she would be willing to consider alternative rings. V/r, David

Brian Gavin Diamonds’ immediate response:

Dear David,

Thank you so much for submitting your ring inquiry online at Brian Gavin Diamonds. For our settings, we actually use very malleable metals for this very reason when constructing an engagement ring or wedding band. Metals like 18kt and Platinum allow give when struck so that they don't create a disastrous environment like we have seen recently with Jimmy Fallon bringing more attention to the ring avulsion incident. Many men's rings are made of extremely hard metals like Tungsten and Cobalt that doesn't allow any type of movement or give when struck. We actually don't even carry these types of settings for this reason and deter our clients who request them with the details of the ring avulsion incidents as well as damage to the ring finger can cause the finger to be amputated because the metal cannot actually be removed. In order to have a ring constructed that can support a center diamond on an engagement ring there has to be support and thus the silicone option wouldn't be available for this style of ring. If you're okay with using the metals that I specified above, please let us know how we can assist you further with this very special purchase!

The responsive expert diamond consultants at Brian Gavin Diamonds are here to answer any questions you may have about an engagement ring or associated complications. We would love to help you create a memorable piece that will safely last a lifetime!

Photo by Rob Rich © 2011. Source: Viva Vivanista – Jimmy Fallon. License: CC by 2.0.

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