I had a problem with a ring today - a ring on my finger, that is.
Over the years my knuckles have increased in size (ah, the joys of aging). I was trying to remove a ring from my finger today & discovered that no matter how hard I pulled I could not get that ring off. No amount of soap or oil did the trick either. In fact, by the time I gave up I had actually pulled off some skin, causing some minor bleeding, and my knuckle was swollen even more.
What to do!?
I called a jewelry shop that offers repair work in the hope that they would be able to cut the ring off in a manner that would allow it to be enlarged and repaired. No such luck - it seems that jewelrey repair shops don't have that sort of service here (at least not the 3 places I called).
However, they did tell me that if I would go to my nearest fire station I could have the ring cut off (and I'll bet you thought that all those firemen do is put out fires & get kittens out of trees).
We called the fire station & sure enough they told me which location could do the ring cutting (pay attention Harry Potter - you may need this service some day). In my case it turns out that the nearest fire station with a ring cutting tool is across from the Olympic Store here in Suginami Ward on Hitomi Dori (Road). So, off I went to the fire station, finger in hand (ha-ha), and ring tight on that finger.
Within about 5 or 10 minutes from the time I waked into the door the ring was off. The fire station has a ring cutting tool and expertise in using it - guess I'm not the only one who has the shrinking ring problem. Those guys did a great job! And the cut is neat which means I can have the ring repaired at one of those shops who don't have the cutting tool (ya gotta wonder about that though!).
The fee? Nothing - just a gracious Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu from me.
