Working with Ring Shanks

Design professional jewelry with personal style with our collection of ring shanks! The ring shank is the term for the band part of a ring, and these flat ring shanks and hollow tubes are a quick and easy way to create one-of-a-kind ring designs. Each flat shank is made from pre-measured, textured, flat wire, with pre-drilled holes, while the ring tubes are pre-measured, hollow and easy to feed sterling or gold-filled wire through. Though there are limitless ways to embellish these ring shanks, we will show you one quick way to get you started for each type.

Hollow Ring Shank Idea

Step One:
If you’re working with a hollow tube shank, you must first choose your wire. We used a 22 gauge sterling silver wire. Depending on the beads and components you want to work with, your size may vary. However, be sure to choose a wire that is size 20 gauge or smaller. Feed the wire through one end of the tube until it comes out the other side of the tube to expose both ends of the wire.

Step Two:
String your bead onto one end of the wire. Pass the other end of the wire through the opposite hole in the bead.

Step Three:
Create a wire wrap on both sides of your bead. You may want to keep your ring on a mandrel at this point to keep from misshaping it. Once your wire wraps are complete, cut excess wire, and enjoy your creation!

Flat Ring Shank Idea

Step One:
To use a flat ring shank, first use your fingers to bend the shank around a ring mandrel at the appropriate size. You can roll the mandrel with the ring shank attached on a hard, non-marring surface to help get the shank perfectly round.

Step Two:
Once the ring shank has been bent to size, it is ready to embellish. For our design we decided to use our chain nose pliers to make a bend just under the pre-drilled holes in the shank. Your shank ends should now be pointing up.

Step Three:
Cut a piece of wire to the appropriate size. We used a one inch piece for our particular design.

Step Four:
Finish one end of the wire. We finished ours with a small loop. Then, trim any excess wire.

Step Five:
Pass the open end of the wire through the small hole on one side of the shank, then through the bead, and then through the hole on the opposite side of the shank.

Step Six:
Finish the open end of the wire with a loop. You may want to finish your ring while it’s on the ring mandrel to keep from misshaping it. Then, trim any excess wire.

You’re now ready to show off your fun new design! Make unique rings for friends and family that will look like professional pieces by incorporating your favorite colors and components.

-Marissa

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Comments

    • Glenda Bollivar
    • January 5, 2012
    Reply

    These are beautiful. I can imagine so many possibilities! Great for non-metalworkers like me!

    • Ashley
    • January 5, 2012
    Reply

    Instead of making a wrapped loop on the first example, do you think you could use a small memory wire end cap?

    • Taina
    • January 5, 2012
    Reply

    Great easy designs. I haven’t attempted making rings before. Maybe I will try some this year.

    • Shanti
    • January 5, 2012
    Reply

    What size bead should we use for the first ring example?

  1. Reply

    What great ideas! These rings are very pretty! I too wonder what size bead should be used on the first ring example? Thanks!

    • sonia drapeau
    • January 6, 2012
    Reply

    That is KOOL!!

    • Teri
    • January 6, 2012
    Reply

    For Ashley: You can use jewelry wire and a 2mm crimp tube, it will fit inside the tube.

    • Marissa
    • January 6, 2012
    Reply

    For Shanti and Cindy-

    Depending on your particular design and how you finish your ring, it will slightly vary as to what will fit. As a good rule of thumb, though, it’s best to work with beads 8mm and smaller.

    • Amy
    • January 6, 2012
    Reply

    Ashley: Whether or not you can use the memory wire end caps really depends on several factors.The biggest being if you can get the end caps to stay on the sterling wire? I would not try to use the memory wire with the ring tube as the ring tube is delicate and the memory wire is too stiff. If the pull of the wire isn’t too much for the end caps to bear, then they may work well. I might add some Epoxy to the end caps to secure a hold if I were to use them.There are endless possibilities when using these ring shanks so have fun, be creative and experiment, experiment, experiment!!

  2. Reply

    Oh how gorgeous! I’m going to have to try these! Thank you so much!

    • Cathy
    • January 10, 2012
    Reply

    Fun and pretty! I want to try this!

    • Janet Williams
    • January 10, 2012
    Reply

    hAVEN’T NEEN INTERESTED IN TRYING RINGS UNTIL i SAW THIS iAM GOING TO TRY MY HAND AT A COUPLE USING BOTH METHODS.

  3. Reply

    This is yet another reason why I LOVE ArtBeads, you always show us how to use the latest things on the market. Is that red heart bead a Swarovski bead? It looks bigger than 8mm. Thank You!

    • Annette
    • January 10, 2012
    Reply

    can’t wait to give it a try….just love rings….

    • Mary
    • January 10, 2012
    Reply

    Great idea but how about some larger sizes like 8 & 9.

      • Marissa
      • January 10, 2012
      Reply

      Thanks for the feedback, Mary. Right now we carry size 6 and 7 rings, but hope to add new sizes to our collection!

    • Marissa
    • January 10, 2012
    Reply

    Hi Carol!

    That red heart bead IS a Swarovski! It’s an 8mm 5742 heart bead in the color Siam. Here’s a link to that particular product: http://www.artbeads.com/5742-sia8.html

    • Vivianne
    • January 10, 2012
    Reply

    Great new products and ideas! I really wish you’d have smaller sizes though, I never find rings small enough for my fingers, which are size 4 to 5…

    • Marissa
    • January 10, 2012
    Reply

    Hi Vivianne-

    I’ll pass your suggestion along to our purchasing team!

    • Amy
    • January 11, 2012
    Reply

    Vivianne- I was able to create a size 4 ring using the flat ring shank. I used a size 6 flat ring shank and I chose a 6mm bead.I created a loop on one side of my wire and fed it through one side of the shank, then through the bead and then through the other side of the shank. When I was making the final loop I gently squeezed the sides of the shank so it would be tight. This made a very nice size 4 ring. I would not try this with the tube shanks as the tube may kink.

    • Misty
    • May 12, 2020
    Reply

    I came across your blog on using hollow ring shanks and am interested in purchasing them. I realize this particular blog is not current, however, it is exactly what I am looking for! Do you have any size 6 or 7 for sale on your website or know where I can purchase them? I did not see any for sale on Artbeads.com.

    Thank you in advance for your time and any insight you can provide.

    Most grateful,
    Misty

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