How Does Ring Resizing Work: Your Complete Guide
A fine piece of jewelry lasts more than a lifetime and can be passed on through generations. Sometimes, jewelry may need updates along the way. Perhaps the piece was passed on to you but originally designed for someone else. Other times, life changes dictate the need for resizing.
Jeweler's Touch provides repairs, cleanings, and adjustments to fine jewelry pieces, including ring resizing. In this guide, we'll discuss everything you need to know before getting your ring resized.
How Tight Should a Ring Be?
Each joint in your finger bones has a tapered tip and a wide base. When you slide the ring over your knuckle, you should feel a little resistance, but it’ll ultimately slide over easily with ease. The ring should sit snugly between your palm and knuckle but not tight enough to cut off circulation.
Removing the ring should take more force to get it over the knuckle than it did to get it on. If removing it causes pain, the ring is likely too tight.
A tight ring can cause injury, while a loose ring may fall off at any moment.
Can a Ring Be Resized Up?
Rings can be resized up or down—both are common requests. Life changes, such as illness, weight change, and medications, can cause fluctuations in finger size and make resizing a ring necessary.
In most cases, it’s possible to resize a ring smaller or bigger to a maximum of two sizes before the shape distorts. A simple band can be reshaped, but things get more complicated with stone settings and intricate design work.
Resizing a ring can be done in one of two ways: stretching or cutting. The stretching method involves heating the ring and stretching it until it reaches the desired size. However, this method is limited to plain bands with no stones set in the ring. The more common method is to cut the ring at the bottom and add more material.
Is a Resized Ring Noticeable?
A ring resized by a skilled jeweler won’t be noticeable. The jeweler cuts the bottom of the ring and then widens it. More material in the same color and quality as the existing ring metal gets added to the new space between the cut ends.
After soldering the material into place, the ring is reshaped, smoothed, and polished. Depressions, ridges, or inconsistencies shouldn’t be visible in the band of the new piece.
What Rings Can and Cannot Be Resized
Some designs and materials are better suited to resizing than others. Due to their design, full eternity bands and rings with tension settings are ill-suited to resizing.
With a full eternity band, the stones wrap around the ring's circumference, usually very close together. It is difficult to cut the ring and add new materials without damaging the original setting.
A tension band design suspends the stone setting between two offset endpoints. If you cut the bottom of the ring, you risk damaging the stone setting.
Some materials also prohibit resizing. Tungsten and ceramic rings can’t be resized because they aren't malleable after their set, and resizing them could shatter the ring. Rose gold rings and other alloys are difficult to size up. The material can crack, and it's harder to match the exact material to add.
Contact Jeweler's Touch to find out if you can get a ring resized. We serve Brea, Orange County, and the Southern California area.
How Long Does Ring Resizing Take?
Resizing a ring can take one to three days, depending on availability and whether the jewelry store has to send the ring away to do the work. Generally, it takes about one hour to resize most rings.
Jeweler’s Touch has an on-site studio and expert jewelers and goldsmiths on staff. If you’re uncomfortable having your ring out of sight, make an appointment and watch one of our expert jewelers repair your piece through our 24-foot gallery window. Our work comes with a one-year warranty, and we have a GIA gemologist on-site for appraisals.
Does a Ring Lose Its Value When Resized?
Resizing a ring doesn’t decrease its value. In some cases, it increases the value, especially if it's adjusted to a more common size, and adds material to the piece.
Unfortunately, discount jewelers and poor-quality work can devalue your ring. Trust a reputable craftsperson with expert skills like the ones on staff at Jeweler's Touch to resize, repair, and restore your ring to showroom quality.
Jewelry Services in Southern California
Jeweler's Touch is a full-service store offering repair, restoration, design, and construction in Brea and the surrounding Southern California area. Quality is our top priority; every piece receives a five-point quality control inspection process.
When you bring your ring for resizing, we’ll take pictures and include a detailed description. Our thorough insurance policy ensures that every piece in our shop is covered—whether we made it or not.
We offer free, no-obligation consultations and in-store, virtual, and curbside appointments. Contact us by booking online or calling us directly to schedule an appointment.