Jeweller to rescue as woman’s rings get stuck on swollen finger

A JEWELLER came to the rescue when firefighters couldn’t free a woman’s swollen finger from her wedding and engagement rings.

David Rodger-Sharp, who runs a shop of the same name in Duke Street, Henley, used a professional cutting tool to remove the bands from Samantha Antoniou’s left hand at the town’s fire station.

She visited the premises in West Street after calling the station’s non-emergency landline and telling crews she hadn’t been able to take the rings off for more than three weeks.

Mrs Antoniou, of Deanfield Road, Henley, had tried all kinds of home remedies but none was effective and she was getting worried.

Firefighters invited her to the station, where they tried using their cutting tool, which fits inside a ring and has a small manually-operated saw blade with a protective guard to prevent injury to the wearer.

However, the saw was too blunt so they called Mr Rodger-Sharp to help them because he volunteers to help the fire crew on community safety initiatives, such as encouraging householders to check their smoke alarms. He was there in minutes and used his tool to cut off the rings.

Mrs Antoniou, 34, said: “David arrived soon after the fire crew realised they couldn’t help and he cut them off very easily and gently. He took great care to explain that it could be emotional, which I appreciated, but I wasn’t upset as we try not to get too attached to material things.

“I also said that I’d already tried everything else so we might as well just get on with it.”

Mrs Antoniou, who lives with her husband Costa and children Sophia, two, and baby Mattheos, got engaged at the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2016 and was married in London later that year.

She said the engagement ring had sentimental value as it belonged to her great-grandmother but she was mostly relieved to be freed from it.

Mrs Antoniou, a business psychologist, first noticed the rings were tighter than usual about a month ago. She tried removing them with washing up liquid, butter, olive oil and other household substances which were recommended online.

She also tried running her hand under cold water to shrink the swelling, lightly heating the rings with a warm spoon to expand the metal and sleeping with her arm raised in case there was a fluid build-up which could drain. These all failed.

She also tried sliding a length of thread under the rings and then easing it off slowly but this just cut into her skin because the rings were too tight.

Mrs Antoniou said: “I waited and waited for my finger to go back down but after a while I realised I should do something more drastic as it was becoming uncomfortable.

“I could bear it on a day-to-day basis but I knew I couldn’t leave it like that forever.

“I asked around on my neighbourhood WhatsApp group and even considered approaching some builders who’ve got a mini-saw but I realised that would create a genuine emergency if it went wrong. I watched loads on YouTube and did lots of Googling, trying everything from washing-up liquid to this neat little trick with thread or dental floss, which seemed to help other people but did nothing for me.

“I didn’t want to go to my GP or Townlands Memorial Hospital because I’m sure they’ve got their hands full tackling covid-19 but then a friend suggested the fire service.

“The crews were really welcoming, put me at my ease and assured me they’d find a way to sort it out.

“David was keen to make sure I was okay throughout the whole thing. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone involved.”

She is still unsure why the swelling occurred but hopes it will go down naturally.

Mr Rodger-Sharp said: “I’m not a firefighter and don’t attend callouts but I’ve always enjoyed volunteering as it’s very fulfilling.

“I had two of the crew ringing me at once, so afterwards we joked that it was my first ‘blue light’ incident.

“It was a rather urgent-sounding call but it was actually quite an easy job and the ring can easily be repaired. I was just happy that I could help.”

Firefighter and volunteer
co-ordinator Michael Clarke said: “There are methods of removing rings at home but some can be pretty dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing and we’d always recommend calling us if you’re unsure.

“We check our equipment weekly but you can’t test the sharpness of a ring cutter without blunting it in the process.

“We were very aware of the risk from personal contact during the pandemic so we removed the rings in the appliance bay with the doors open and lots of air circulating.

“We’re very thankful to David, who was able to tackle the problem without any discomfort to Mrs Antoniou.

“I think she was pretty relieved as it was becoming painful.”

Mr Rodger-Sharp said he would discuss repair of the rings with Mrs Antoniou once the coronavirus lockdown was over.

• The fire station is looking for more volunteers. Anyone interested should email Mr Clarke via michael.clarke@oxfordshire.gov.uk