What We Fix, and How Long It Really Takes
Cleaning, full polish, clasp repair, inspections and watch batteries are done here, in one visit. Ring sizing, chain soldering, stone tightening, engraving, prong work, rhodium plating, pearl restringing and shank rebuilds go to a partner jeweler — 7 to 14 business days.
Either way, the piece is inspected here with you first and you get a written estimate before anything leaves the store.
| Repair | Where it's done | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Watch battery replacementMost standard quartz watches. | In-house | Same visit — flat $10 |
| CleaningGold, sterling silver and Black Hills Gold. | In-house | Same visit |
| Full polishSurface scratches and dulled finish. | In-house | Same visit |
| Clasp repairBring both ends if the chain broke at the clasp. | In-house | Same visit |
| Inspection & written estimateProngs, settings, shanks and clasps checked with you. | In-house | Same visit |
| Ring sizingUp or down, depending on metal and setting. | Send-out partner | 7–14 business days |
| Chain solderingBring both broken ends if you have them. | Send-out partner | 7–14 business days |
| Stone tighteningBefore a loose stone becomes a lost stone. | Send-out partner | 7–14 business days |
| Hand-stamped engravingDates, initials and short messages. | Send-out partner | 7–14 business days |
| Prong re-tippingPrecise work under magnification. | Send-out partner | 7–14 business days |
| Rhodium re-platingWhite gold's bright finish wears off in 1–3 years. | Send-out partner | 7–14 business days |
| Half shank replacementRebuilding the worn lower half of a band. | Send-out partner | 10–14 business days |
| Pearl restringingNew silk or nylon, weighted for the pearls. | Send-out partner | 10–14 business days |
| Stone replacementTimeline depends on finding the right stone. | Send-out partner | Depends on sourcing |
| Black Hills Gold specialty workTri-color leaf detail needs a specialist. | Specialist partner | Quoted at inspection |
Why Some Work Leaves the Store — and Why That's Good
Plenty of shops won't tell you this. We will: ring sizing, chain soldering, stone tightening, engraving, prong work, rhodium plating and pearl restringing go to a trusted partner jeweler. That is why those jobs take 7–14 business days rather than a couple of days.
It is also why they come back right. Sending complex work to a specialist keeps your piece in expert hands and gets you a better outcome than a generalist would. We'd rather tell you a job needs a specialist than attempt it and cost you the piece.
Either way, the piece is inspected here with you first, and you get an estimate before anything leaves the store. Nothing goes anywhere without your approval.
What Drives the Price
We quote by estimate, not from a price list — and that is deliberate. The same repair can differ by a factor of three depending on the metal, the setting and how much work the piece actually needs. A published range would be wrong for most of the people reading it, and being quoted a number that later moves is worse than not being quoted one at all.
The one price we can give you flat: watch batteries are $10, most standard quartz watches, usually while you wait.
For everything else, five things move the number:
Metal
The biggest single factor. Sterling silver and 10K–14K gold are the most economical to work with. Platinum costs more — it runs hotter, works harder and is worth more per gram.
How far it moves
Sizing down a half size is not the same job as sizing up two. Going up means adding metal; a half shank means rebuilding the bottom of the band entirely.
Stones
A plain band is straightforward. Channel-set, pavé and eternity bands may need stones removed and reset to do the work safely — which is labour, and risk.
Finish matching
A join has to be finished so you can't see it. On rhodium-plated white gold or a brushed finish, that means re-finishing the whole piece, not just the repair.
What the piece needs
Not what you came in asking for. We tell you if a shank is failing everywhere rather than just at the bottom.
You get a specific written figure once we have the piece in front of us, and you approve it before anything begins. If you would rather know roughly where you stand before driving in, text photos to (605) 850-9455 and we will give you a read.
What Does a Half Shank Cost?
There is no flat price, and any page that gives you one is guessing — but the cost is not a mystery either. A half shank is built from three things you can actually reason about, and one of them you can work out yourself before you ever walk in.
What a half shank actually is
The bottom of a ring is where it wears. Decades of contact with keys, steering wheels, tools and countertops thin the underside of the band until it is noticeably thinner than the top, or until it cracks outright. A half shank replaces that worn lower half with new metal, soldered to the surviving top half and finished so the join does not show. It is the standard repair for a band that is thin at the bottom but sound at the top — and it is very often the reason a ring that "can't be sized" suddenly can be.
What the price is made of
- The gold that gets added. Real metal at real market prices, and the part most people do not account for. It scales with karat and with how heavy the band is.
- Bench labour. Cutting out the worn section, fitting and soldering the new shank, then filing, sanding and polishing until the seam is invisible. Time, not materials.
- Anything the setting forces. If stones sit low enough to be at risk from the heat, they may need to come out and go back in. If the ring is rhodium-plated white gold or has a brushed finish, the whole piece has to be re-finished.
The part you can calculate before you come in
Grams of gold added × karat purity × today's gold price per gram. Look up the current gold price per troy ounce, divide by 31.1 for the price per gram, then multiply by your purity — 14K is 58.5%, 10K is 41.7%, 18K is 75% — and by the grams the job needs. That is typically around 1 to 2 grams on an ordinary band, more on a wide or heavy men's ring.
Worked example at gold around $4,350 an ounce (2 September 2026): that is roughly $140 per gram of pure gold, so about $82 per gram of 14K and $58 per gram of 10K. A 1–2 gram 14K half shank therefore carries roughly $80–$165 of gold content before a minute of labour. Swap in today's spot price and the same arithmetic works on any day.
Because gold has more than doubled in five years, older published price ranges now understate the metal alone. You get a specific written estimate after we inspect the piece, and you approve it before any work starts.
Black Hills Gold Needs a Different Answer
This matters more in South Dakota than almost anywhere else, and it's the repair question we get most often that has a genuinely different answer.
Black Hills Gold is built from three golds — a yellow gold base with rose and green gold leaf-and-grape detail applied to the surface. That tri-color construction is exactly what makes sizing risky in the wrong hands. Too much heat, or polishing that's even slightly too aggressive, and the rose and green alloys discolor or the leaf detail flattens out. Once that detail is gone it cannot be restored — the piece has to be replaced.
Larsen's has carried Black Hills Gold since 1941, so we know which pieces size safely and which don't. Bands with continuous leaf detail around the full shank often can't move more than a half size in either direction without disturbing the design. Solid-back bands usually have more room.
We check the construction in person, tell you honestly how far the piece can move, and route anything needing specialist work to a partner who has handled Black Hills Gold before. If sizing isn't safe, we'll say so — and we can help you find or special-order a replacement in the size you actually need. Browse Black Hills Gold →
Our Repairs Are Guaranteed
Repairs completed in-store and through our send-out partner are guaranteed against workmanship defects. If a soldered joint, a re-tipped prong or a replaced clasp fails under normal wear, bring the piece back and we'll correct it at no charge.
To be straight about the limits: the guarantee covers our workmanship. It does not cover new damage, loss, or normal wear on other parts of the piece.
Jewelry Repair FAQ
What can you fix the same day?
Cleaning, a full polish, clasp repair, inspections and written estimates, and watch batteries at a flat $10 — all done in-store in one visit. Anything needing a bench specialist goes to our partner jeweler and runs 7 to 14 business days.
Why does some work get sent out?
Ring sizing, chain soldering, stone tightening, engraving, prong re-tipping, rhodium plating, pearl restringing and Black Hills Gold specialty work go to a partner jeweler who does that work every day. It's a better outcome than a generalist attempting it. We'd rather tell you a job needs a specialist than attempt it and cost you the piece — and you'll always know upfront which category your repair falls into.
What does a half shank ring repair cost?
There is no flat price, but the cost breaks into three parts you can reason about: the gold that gets added, the bench labor to cut out the worn section and solder and finish the new one, and any extra work the setting forces such as removing stones or re-finishing a rhodium-plated band. The metal part you can estimate yourself - take the current gold price per ounce, divide by 31.1 for the price per gram, multiply by your karat purity (14K is 58.5%, 10K is 41.7%), then by the grams the job needs, typically around 1 to 2 grams on an ordinary band. At a gold price around $4,350 an ounce that puts roughly $80 to $165 of gold content in a 1-2 gram 14K half shank before any labor. Because gold has more than doubled in five years, older published price ranges now understate the metal alone. You get a specific written estimate after we inspect the piece, and you approve it before any work starts.
How do I know if my ring needs a half shank or a full shank?
It depends on where the wear is. A half shank is right when the bottom of the band is thin or cracked but the top is still in good shape, which is the common case, since the underside is what rubs against keys, steering wheels and countertops. A full shank is right when the thinning runs most of the way around, or when the band is also thin up under the setting - putting a half shank on a band that is failing everywhere just moves the problem a few years down the road. If the band is sound and only the fit is wrong, you want sizing rather than a shank at all. Bring the ring in and we will show you what we are seeing on your own piece before quoting anything.
Can you size Black Hills Gold rings?
Sometimes — and this is one to ask about before assuming. The tri-color leaf-and-grape detail can discolor or flatten under too much heat or aggressive polishing, and once it's gone it can't be restored. Bands with continuous leaf detail around the full shank often can't move more than a half size safely. We check the construction in person and tell you honestly what's possible.
Should I keep wearing a ring with a loose stone?
No. If a stone feels loose, rattles, catches on clothing or looks uneven, stop wearing it until it's checked. Tightening a stone is an inexpensive job. Replacing one you've lost is neither — and a sentimental stone may not be replaceable at all.
Bring It In — We'll Tell You Straight
Inspected with you at the counter, written estimate before anything starts, and an honest answer about whether the repair is worth doing at all.
211 N Main St, Mobridge, SD 57601 • Mon–Sat 11am–6pm • Closed Sunday. No appointment needed.
What to bring
Bring these and we can usually quote in one visit instead of two — worth doing if you're driving in from McLaughlin, Selby, Timber Lake, Herreid, Pollock or Gettysburg. The piece itself in a small box or padded pouch; if a stone is loose or already missing, say so at the counter so we handle it carefully from the start. Both broken ends of a chain if you still have them — a clean break with both pieces is faster and cheaper than a chain that's lost a section. Any paperwork — appraisal, certificate, receipt or the original box tells us metal type and stone grades, though no paperwork is fine. A photo of how it used to look if you're restoring rather than just repairing.
