How do I remove a stuck engagement ring from my finger?

About once a month someone walks into the studio with a finger the color of eggplant and a ring that hasn't budged in two days. Usually it's an engagement ring. The problem isn't the ring. It's that the person has been pulling straight up against a swollen knuckle, and every yank makes the skin bunch harder.

Stop doing that.

What to do first

Get the finger above your heart for five minutes. Cold shrinks tissue, so run your hand under cold water or wrap an ice pack in a thin towel for two or three minutes, not longer. Then lube it. A few sprays of Windex directly around the band works better than anything else I've found. Dish soap works too. Work it under the ring with your thumb, not by twisting yet. You want a film between metal and skin, and you want that film to reach all the way around the inside of the band before you try to move it, because dry friction against a swollen knuckle is what tears skin.

Then twist the ring gently back and forth while pulling upward at the same time. Keep your finger straight. If it moves to the knuckle and stops, don't force it. Go back to cold water, re-lube, and try the floss method.

For the floss method:

1. Slide a long piece of dental floss or thin thread under the ring so one end sticks out toward your fingertip.
2. Wrap the long end around your finger starting at the ring and working toward the knuckle. Wrap snug, but not so tight it turns your finger purple.
3. Hold the end that came out by the ring and start unwinding from the bottom. The ring should ride up the thread and over the knuckle.

When to stop and find a jeweler

If your finger goes numb, turns blue, or swells more, stop. Go to urgent care. A doctor can remove it safely. If you're near a jeweler, just come in. I cut rings off a few times a month. It takes two minutes with a proper ring cutter, and the ring can almost always be repaired. I keep a ring cutter on the bench, right next to the Foredom flex shaft. Cutting a gold or platinum ring usually costs about $30 to $50 at a shop. Worth it before you damage the finger or the ring.

Last March a client named Rachel came in after a flight to Florida, her fingers swollen like little sausages, and she'd been yanking on the ring for an hour with some lavender lotion from her purse, which only made the skin puffy and sore. We soaked her hand in cold water, used a little Windex, and the ring slipped off without cutting. No drama, no charge.

Skip the butter. Skip the string if the finger is already blue. And if the ring is tungsten, don't try to cut it at home with wire cutters. I've seen that end badly.