Rings are ornamental pieces of jewelry that are used for hundreds of years now. The oldest ring is over 4500 years old and it was found in the ancient city of Ur in Sumer (modern Iraq).
In most cases, rings are worn by women, but there are many men who are wearing rings too. This is especially true when it comes to wedding rings.
Regardless of the type of ring you are wearing, and the reason why you are wearing it in the first place, the truth is that there are situations when the ring doesn’t fit anymore.
Some people are gaining weight or losing weight over time while others want to use it on another finger.
This is where ring resizing comes into play. In other words, you don’t have to buy a completely new ring when the ring doesn’t fit. There are many places where you can conduct ring resizing.
An Introduction To Ring Resizing
There are basically two things that you can do when you want to change the size of your ring – you can make it smaller or you can make it larger.
Obviously, it’s much simpler to make the ring smaller, but only if you are using a jeweler’s help or professional help in general.
In order to make the ring smaller, the specialist has to remove (cut) a small piece of the band.
Image via @ParkRoadJewellery
After that, the ring has to be reshaped because the ideal circular shape will be affected. After that, the ring is soldered back. The resized ring will have a weld, but this weld won’t be visible because the area will be smoothed and polished.
Rings that come with bands and plain shanks can be reshaped and resized with the help of this reliable technique.
However, rings that come with a design that covers the band and those that are ornate must be rebuilt.
In some cases, ornate rings are created in a way which leaves a small area where jewelers can easily resize the ring without rebuilding.
It’s worth mentioning that some rings are decorated with jewels that cover the entire band. The good news is that these rings can be resized too, but they must have their gems removed before the process begins. In other words, the resized ring may have a fewer gems or diamonds than before.
The other option you have with ring resizing is to make them larger.
There are two methods used in this process.
For starters, when the right should be enlarged, but only slightly, it is sometimes possible to stretch the ring.
However, when the increase is at least a half size, the ring must be cut.
After that, it will get an additional piece.
Of course, the band can be soldered too for this purpose. When there is an ornate ring or a ring that has jewels that cover the entire band, the resizing process can become quite difficult.
It is very likely that the pattern will have to be changed.
Your ring is a valuable asset. Even if it doesn’t cost much, you are probably emotionally attached to it.
This means that you can’t leave it to any person out there whenever you need ring resizing.
It is obvious that the best option you have is to use a professional jeweler. Of course, there are many jewelers out there, but not all of them are the same.
So, how can you choose the right one?
For starters, you must be sure that they provide such service. You need a bench jeweler who provides resize and repair services to clients. These jewelers are usually providing a long list of other services too. For start, try Yelp of Yellow Pages to find professional jeweler near you.
Another thing that you should take into account is their reputation.
It would be wise to select a jeweler with whom you can establish a professional relationship as a client.
Take some time to find out how long this professional has been in this industry.
Check their store’s background and reputation too. It is very likely that an established and respected jeweler will have excellent references. They should be ready to conduct not only ring resizing but also ring maintenance.
Luckily, we have the Internet now to check all these things.
A good jeweler should be prepared to listen to you. They have to show you that they will do their best to keep the ring in its original condition no matter whether you are trying to make the ring bigger or smaller.
As we have mentioned before, there are cases when the ring has to face changes in its design (typically when you want to make it larger). A respected jeweler should suggest a few options for the new, corrected design. They should not be making pressure on you to make a decision that won’t make you happy unless there is no other option.
Furthermore, a good jeweler should have answers to all your questions. They should provide answers easily and without any hesitations. They must be knowledgeable and have knowledge and experience with specific types of rings. For example, it would be great if they have some sort of a certificate for working with diamond rings. The certificate alone talks a lot about their reputation and reliability.
The process of searching for a jeweler for ring resizing should end with the warranty policies. A well-established jeweler should be able to provide the resized ring in the timeframe that you require. They should also provide warranties for the job they’ve done. A good jeweler will never damage the ring or make some mistakes that could’ve been avoided if they were using the right equipment or if they had the skills for this type of activity.
How much does it cost to get your ring resized?
The fact is that the vast majority of rings can be resized for a more than reasonable price. But, keep in mind that there is no universal answer to this question. It all depends on the type of ring you want to modify. Is it a simple ring without any ornaments? In this case, you can expect a low price.
However, if there is additional work for the ornaments, adding materials, modifying the position of the ornaments and more, you should expect to pay more.
You should also think about the type of service you are using. For example, there are jewelers who are providing full service. This means that they will not only resize the ring, but they will also cover the maintenance and highlight the possible problems with your rings like loose gems. So, instead of paying only for the resizing, you will pay more. But, in this way, you can rest assured that your ring will stay safe for a longer period of time.
Although there is no fixed rate, a basic ring resize should not cost more than $60.
If the metal is easier to work with, you should pay less.
But, if the resizing is a little bit complicated and the ring includes different elements, you should expect to pay $150 or even more.
Generally speaking, if you want to make the ring larger, you should be prepared to pay more.
We have already mentioned a few of the things that have an impact on the cost of ring resizing, but we will now summarize them. So, making the ring smaller is less expensive than making it larger.
When you are making it larger, it is very likely that the jeweler will need more material (unless he is stretching it).
The thickness of the material plays an important role too. If the ring is very thick, the jeweler will have to use more metal making the price go up. In addition, the number of stones affects the cost too. Even if you are making the ring smaller, the jeweler will find a way to incorporate the gems again, but this activity requires intensive manual labor.
Of course, the most important factor that affects ring resizing cost is the type of material. The least expensive type of metal for resizing is yellow gold. The cost of sterling silver ring resizing is similar. Some of the more expensive ring resizing options out there are white gold, rose gold and platinum.
Probably the most expensive type of metal for resizing is titanium because this metal is very strong which causes a lot of problems and trouble for jewelers. An experienced jeweler should be able to work with titanium, but this service will cost you more.
What kind of materials can get resized? (and the popular ones which can’t get)
As we have already mentioned, modern rings (similar to older rings) are made from different kinds of materials. So, whenever you want to resize your ring and make it bigger or smaller, you have to think about the material used in its production. What’s good to hear is that the majority of rings can get resized.
First of all, plain bands or rings based only on metal without any gems or stones are probably the best kind of rings for resizing. In case they are based on precious metals that are not too hard like silver, palladium, platinum or gold, then the ring resizing process is much simpler.
In cases like this, resizing is all about stretching the ring to increase the size or compressing to make it tighter. As a general rule, jewelers avoid resizing a ring for more than two whole sizes. The best results are witnessed when the ring is resized to just one whole size.
There are rings that come with carved patterns, braided designs and milgrains are more difficult for resizing regardless of the material used in them. The majority of jewelers will refuse to finish this task because they don’t have the necessary equipment or experience.
However, well-trained and experienced jewelers will probably be able to help you resize your ring without leaving any marks. There are also many rings that bear engravings, different ornaments and there are eternity bands too. Working with a ring like this is not easy because the jeweler has to bring back the ornaments or correct the engravings.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to achieve a goal like this.
Modern rings are made from different kinds of materials. For example, it is very popular to use alternative metals to create unique rings. Some of these metals include titanium, tungsten, stainless steel and cobalt chrome. All these metals are difficult to reshape and resize because they are very hard and have low flexibility.
According to some jewelers and experts in this field, tungsten bands are probably the most difficult to resize.
In fact, most of them agree that they can’t be resized. When buying a ring made of alternative metals, it’s the smartest idea to look for sellers that provide a lifetime sizing policy. With a policy like this, you won’t have to resize your ring – if the ring doesn’t fit anymore, you can trade it and get a new one almost for the same price.
How long does it take to resize a ring?
Once again, we are looking at a question that doesn’t come with a universal answer. In some cases, jewelers can get the job done in one working day while in others it may take more than two weeks. This is logical because not every ring is the same. In addition, it also depends on the jeweler you’ve selected. If you want to know how much time you will have to wait until you can put the ring back on your hand, you should ask the jeweler.
There are a few things that can give you a clearer picture of the period of time that an average jeweler will need to resize any ring.
The list of things that have an impact on this issue starts with the precious stones that might be present on the rings. As we have already said, there are some resizing procedures which require repositioning or complete removal of some precious stones. The so-called eternity bands are a good example of rings like this. They have stones around the entire band. Obviously, it will take more than a day to remove, move and place these stones again in the ring.
Another important thing that affects ring resizing timeframe is the answer to the question – who gets the job done? There are many jewelers that have in-house solutions for issues like this. In other words, the jeweler himself will take care of this which usually takes less time. But, if they don’t have the knowledge, expertise, and resources to complete this job they will send it to another place and you will have to wait for days for the results.
But, even if the jeweler decides to finish this task on his own, you may still have to wait for days before you get the ring. They may be very busy and they can’t start working on ring resizing right away. If you want to avoid long periods of waiting, just ask them when is the best time to bring your ring. Try to wear it another finger during this period. Don’t forget that the size of your fingers can change if you are waiting for a very long period of time.
Is it possible to resize a ring at home?
The short answer is yes.
In the recent period, many people are attracted to the DIY (Do-it-yourself) concept.
They want to try to do things at home and learn new things.
One of the main reasons for that is the emergence of the Internet.
You can find many How-to tutorials and step-by-step guides for ring resizing on YouTube and other popular websites. Some of these tutorials look very easy and we are sure that almost anyone can try them at home.
While it is possible to get the job done at home, it is highly recommended to use a professional jeweler for this purpose.
If you are doing this for fun, try to do something else. If you think that you can save some money, don’t forget that the damage you can do will cost you more. As a matter of fact, sometimes the damage can be irreversible.
How to find out whether your ring is too tight?
People can easily notice when their ring is bigger than it’s supposed to be because it will keep falling from their fingers.
But, what are the signs that show that the ring is too tight?
One of the simplest signs that the ring is very tight is the inability to turn it around your finger. If it takes a lot of effort to do this in any direction, then your ring is probably very tight and you should increase its size. Just to make sure that this is the case, you should icing the hand for about ten minutes and try to spin it again.
Another obvious sign that you need ring resizing is a situation where you simply can’t remove the ring from your finger. Some people who are wearing wedding rings think that this is okay, but your finger needs to be free from your ring from time to time (like when you are bathing for example or passing a security check).
In case you notice extra skin and fat right above or below the ring, then you should consider a trip to the jeweler. Wearing a very tight ring can affect the health of your skin and fingers.
Finally, if the finger tingles or you feel pain in that finger, this is another sign that you should resize your ring.
We hope that this ring resizing guide will help you do the right thing.
I love diamonds like every woman does, but I like to go beyond and research the topic to the ground.