Ring Sizing and Resizing

Ring Sizing and Resizing

There are many reasons why you may want to have a ring resized. Engagement rings and rings received as gifts or passed down as heirlooms usually need to be resized to fit correctly. Maybe you’ve gained or lost weight or would just like to wear your ring on a different finger. Ring resizing is a standard service offered by most jewelers, who have several different ways that they can help make your ring fit perfectly. It’s important to have your rings resized by a professional jeweler who has the time and skills necessary to do excellent work on your precious ring.

How Do I Find My Ring Size?

In the U.S., ring sizes are based on a numerical scale that reflects the millimeter circumference around the inside of the ring. This scale goes from a size 3 up to a size 15, with half sizes in between. The average ring size for a woman is about a 6 to a 6.5 while the average for a man is about a size 9 or 10. If your ring size falls between a whole and half size, it’s always best to size up rather than down.

There are a couple of different ways to find your ring size. If you have a ring that fits comfortably, you can bring it with you to the jeweler who will match it up to their ring size guide. If you want to be a step ahead when dropping off your ring to be resized, you can also use anonline ring size guide that you can print out to measure the size of a properly fitting ring in your collection. Be sure to measure the finger on the hand where you will wear the ring as fingers on dominant and non-dominant hands can differ by a quarter size.

Should I Get My Ring Resized?

It’s always recommended you have any ring, especially engagement rings, professionally resized to ensure that they fit properly. When deciding whether or not you should have your ring resized, you should wear it for a few days to determine if it is indeed too big or too small. Keep in mind that the average finger fluctuates in size throughout the day and throughout the seasons, with rings tending to fit more snugly in the summer when fingers swell and looser in the winter when they shrink in the cold.

While proper sizing is important for all rings, it’s especially critical for those that you will wear daily. A ring that fits correctly slides on easily but requires a little effort to get off and over your knuckle. It may feel slightly tight.

Rings that cause swelling or discomfort and are obviously too tight should be resized. If the ring easily slips off your finger, then it is too big. If your ring spins, it may be a sign that it is not correctly sized. In addition to being annoying, a spinning ring can also cause the setting to wear and loosen, which can cause gemstones to fall out.

Most rings can be resized about two times over their lifetime although this can vary according to the ring style and setting. Jewelers may be able to resize rings with simpler bands more than twice while it may be impossible to resize rings that contain many different gemstones or intricate settings at all. Certain types of rings are not able to be resized and require the use of other methods for them to fit correctly. Generally, the wider the ring, the tighter the fit.

It’s not recommended that women get their rings resized during pregnancy as finger size can vary significantly during this time and for some time after.

What Should I Do If My Ring Is Too Big or Too Small?

If your ring doesn’t fit properly, the best thing to do is have it professionally resized as soon as possible. If it is too big, it may be tempting to leave it alone or put an adhesive bandage or a piece of tape around it. However, an improperly fitting ring increases the chance of it falling off and getting lost.

If your ring is too small or barely fits over your finger without considerable pushing and tugging, there’s not much you can do other than having it sized larger or wearing it on a different finger. If your ring is too big, there are several ways that you can get it to fit properly.

If you need to wait to have your ring resized, you may want to use a ring guard in the meantime. This is a small bar that clips across the bottom of the band. You should only use this method for a short time since it can damage the band.

In many cases, such as with engagement rings, the ring may fit fairly well but move from side to side due to the heaviness of the gemstone. In this case, the jeweler may install sizing assistants, in the form of small beads or a small metal bar, to the inside of the ring. This method can be used to decrease the ring about a quarter size but is most frequently used to anchor a top-heavy ring to your finger.

How Do You Resize a Ring?

Rings can be resized several ways depending on if they need to be bigger or smaller. Typically, rings can be resized up to two sizes either way. Any more than that and it is too much stress on the rings which could cause them to bend or crack.

1. Sizing Up

It’s a little more involved for a jeweler to make a ring larger since it requires either stretching the metal of the ring or adding additional metal. The method of enlarging a ring by stretching it only makes the ring about a half size bigger and is not usually recommended by jewelers since it can weaken the ring. Most jewelers size rings up by heating up and cutting the band, adding more metal to form a bridge and soldering the ring back together. Then they clean and polish it.

2. Sizing Down

To make a ring smaller, the jeweler heats up and cuts off a small piece of the band and then solders the two ends back together to form a perfect circle. Afterward, they clean and polish it. You may opt to keep the excess metal, called a “cutout,” in case the ring needs to be sized up at a later time. It’s much easier to size a ring smaller than it is to size it larger.

Can You Resize Any Ring?

To be resized, your ring must be made of metal such as silver, gold or platinum. Jewelers cannot resize rings made of wood, quartz or other non-metal material. There must also be enough space around the ring for it to be made larger or smaller. Rings that have a simpler design are the easiest to resize, although it’s usually possible to do so with rings that have a channel setting or one with many gemstones. For those types of rings, it may be necessary to add, remove or rearrange the setting to resize it properly.

Certain rings should not be resized. These include:

• Full eternity bands: Rings with gemstones around the entire band don’t have any bare metal with which to work. These rings are nearly impossible to resize, although an expert jeweler may be able to work with the ring to successfully resize it.
• Tungsten rings: The metal is too hard. Cutting a tungsten ring would cause the entire thing to break apart. If you could manage to cut it, tungsten cannot be welded together easily. Its melting point is much higher than what most jewelers can reach in their shops.
• Rose gold rings: Rose gold is a temperamental alloy that cracks easily if you try to resize it. There are also many variations of rose gold, so you’re unlikely to get an exact match if you need to add metal to make it bigger.
• Titanium rings: Many jewelers will not resize titanium rings due to how difficult the metal is to resize.
• Rings with tension settings: Changing the size of the band can compromise the ring’s tensile strength or cause the center gemstone to be misaligned.

Options for rings that can’t be resized include wearing a smaller ring next to it to help it stay in place or having the ring remade in the correct size. You can also invest in an inexpensive ring overlay which is a removable plastic adjuster that can fit over any ring shank to make it fit without cutting it.

Since ring resizing is such a delicate process, it’s imperative that you find an expert jeweler. When done by a knowledgeable and skilled jeweler, you shouldn’t even be able to tell that the ring was resized — except for platinum which inevitably shows a fine line at the soldering joint. Expert jewelers are skilled in working with delicate gemstones and settings and will ensure that your ring is correctly resized and that all of the details, such as engravings and prongs, are restored correctly.

How Much Will It Cost to Resize My Ring?

There is no exact price list when estimating how much it will cost to have your ring resized. The cost can range from $20 for a simple resizing to several hundred dollars for more complicated work. It’s always a good idea to visit with a reputable jeweler who can inspect the ring and give you a cost estimate based upon the desired results. Keep in mind that the final cost may vary slightly from the estimate if the amount of work or material for resizing the ring changes during the process.

The cost depends on several different factors including the amount of work and time involved and the materials needed. These include:

1. The Type of Metal

Certain precious metals are more expensive than others and will directly affect the price you pay for resizing. From least expensive to most expensive they include:

• Yellow gold: Easy to resize and relatively inexpensive although this can depend on current gold prices.
• Sterling silver: Easy to resize.
• White gold: Needs to be refinished and replated with rhodium to give it its white gold color.
• Platinum: Needs special tools to be resized and has a high melting point, necessitating more work.

2. How Many Sizes It Needs to Move

It typically costs less to have a ring sized smaller than larger, as there are no additional materials needed.

3. The Amount of Metal

The thickness of the ring also can make it more expensive, with thicker rings requiring more materials than thinner ones. Rings with flat bottoms, called euro-shanks, typically cost more to resize due to the corners requiring more metal.

4. The Number of Changes to the Ring’s Design

Usually, the more gemstones a ring has, the more potential for them having to be moved or adjusted during the resizing process. Gemstones that lie along the area of the new curvature sometimes have to be removed and reset to accommodate the new shape or due to temperature sensitivity. This usually results in a higher resizing cost.

Although it can be expensive to resize your ring, consider that the cost to resize a ring is always a lot less than the cost of replacing it should it fall off and get lost or have to be cut off your finger. Even if you have your rings insured, as is always recommended, the sentimental value can never be replaced.

How Long Will It Take to Resize My Ring?

It typically takes about one to two weeks to have a ring resized. Rings with very intricate details or settings usually take longer, as more time is required to work with them. Reputable jewelers will usually give you a timeframe of several days to several weeks, depending on the jeweler’s current workload. Always take the time to find a trustworthy jeweler with whom you feel comfortable leaving your ring. Look for a jeweler that has met the strict standards of the American Gem Society, as only five percent of jewelers meet this standard. Remember that when it comes to ring resizing, although you may be eager to get your ring back quickly, it’s well worth the wait to have it done by a jeweler who will do it the right way.

The same factors that contribute to the cost of resizing a ring also contribute to the time it may take.

These include:

• The ring’s thickness
• Whether it needs to be sized up or sized down
• The placement of the gemstones
• The intricacy of details such as engravings and settings

Ring Resizing at Mountz Jewelers

When looking for a reputable and trustworthy jeweler to resize your ring, look no further than Mountz Jewelers. Our in-house jewelers will ensure that your ring is the perfect fit and offer many other services such as rhodium plating and engraving. Visit your local Mountz Jewelers location or contact us today to find out more information about our ring resizing service. Remember to “Trust Your Special Moments to Mountz.”