Can Engagement Rings Be Resized?
Why Do Engagement Rings Only Come In One Size?
If you’ve ever been shopping for engagement rings at a jewelry store, you may have noticed something about the sizing of in-store engagement rings: most engagement rings in a jewelry store come in one size.
The standard ring size tends to range between 6.75 and 7.The jewelry industry tells us this is the average ring size for an engagement ring. The truth is, a lot of people do not fit this size.
One of the many benefits about purchasing engagement rings and wedding bands online is that you are able to select your ring size when you purchase it. Brick-and-mortar retailers will often tell you that you should come back in after your proposal to get your engagement ring resized. But if you’re able to select your size online, there’s no need for an additional resizing.
How To Find Out Your Ring Size
Before selecting your proper ring size, you should know how to measure your ring size. There are a couple of ways you can do this.
If you want to do it in-person, there are many jewelry retailers that will let you find out your ring size. Most of them carry a metal ring with a variety of different metal loops that range in sizes. The loop that fits the best will be your ring size.
If you’re choosing an engagement ring or wedding band with a bigger width than 2.5-3mm it might be helpful to size using two thin loops or the men’s wedding band sizers. These sizers are thicker and will be more accurate. The wider the band, the tighter the fit.
How a Ring Should Fit
The biggest concern regarding ring size is the threat of your engagement ring flying off because it is too big. Of course, a tight ring can be painful or need to be cut off in the most serious cases. Neither case sounds ideal, so it’s important to make sure your engagement ring fits right.
An engagement ring should slide easily over the knuckle when you put it on. When you take it off, it should be a little difficult to remove. It shouldn’t leave any marks or indentations, nor should you struggle to take it off. It should be harder to tug off at the knuckle, but still come off without too much struggle.
Can All Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands Be Resized?
Not every kind of engagement ring can be resized. Some rings have to be remade into that size or “special ordered”. Eternity bands are a perfect example of this.
Eternity bands are engagement rings or wedding bands that have small diamonds all the way around the band. Most engagement rings with accent stones have diamonds that go halfway to ¾ the way down the band. There is usually an open space of metal at the bottom for sizing.
Some kinds of channel-set bands can’t be resized. Channel-set engagement rings are a popular setting style. They incorporate round diamonds or princess cut diamonds set in a grooved channel down in the band. Depending on the structure and how far the channel goes down, resizing could compromise the setting.
There are certain types of ring metals that can’t be resized either. Most engagement rings come in gold, platinum, sometimes sterling silver. All of these metals are able to be resized. However, many men’s wedding bands or alternative style engagement rings come in other ring metals like stainless steel, titanium, or ceramic. These metals can’t be resized, so they will have to be ordered in the right size.
If your engagement ring has ornate details and metal designs in the band, resizing could ruin the design. Many designer engagement rings have details like this and the average jeweler is not able to recreate them after sizing.
Engagement rings with pave diamonds can present an issue with resizing too. Pave is French for “paved road”, which is an accurate representation of how pave stones look on an engagement ring. The small accent diamonds are set closely together, without any metal between them. This gives the illusion of a sparkling paved road of diamonds cascading down the band. This is an example of a meticulous setting that can be disrupted when being resized.
How Jewelers Resize Engagement Rings
The way your jewelers will resize your engagement ring depends on the type of ring and whether it needs to be sized up or down.
To size a ring up, a jeweler may stretch your ring, hammer it up, or add/remove a little bit of metal.
Typically, when adding or removing metal, jewelers will use a jeweler’s torch to size your ring. But if you have a colored gemstone instead of a diamond, they may need to remove it before resizing your ring. Some gemstones are not heat resistant. Their appearance can be altered by heat, and many will crack and become damaged by heat.
In the event that your engagement ring needs to be sized down, jewelers will cut out a section of the ring shank to the appropriate length. They will then solder the metal together, and polishing away any remnants of the cutting. Sometimes a laser welder is used instead of a torch. A laser welder allows the jeweler to fuse metals in a precise way without the extreme heat from a torch. This is often a great way to size rings to avoid damaging sensitive gemstones.
Is Lifetime Resizing a Good Thing?
Some retailers and jewelers may boast a lifetime warranty with lifetime ring sizing. They’ll say you can size it up or down as much as you want, whereas some retailers offer one free resizing. Having lifetime sizing isn’t necessarily a good thing.
You should only size your ring once or twice in its lifetime. Continuous resizing can compromise the metal in your ring shank. It can weaken the metal and thin it out. A ring shank that’s too thin can cause your shank to break. Jewelers may have to add metal to thicken the shank, which can result in a hefty cost not covered by your lifetime resizing warranty.
4 Alternatives to Resizing Your Engagement Ring
You may find that your ring size fluctuates throughout the year. For some people, engagement and wedding rings fit tighter during the summer and looser in the winter. When your ring fit does this, it’s not necessary to have a jeweler resize it every season. As you’ve learned before, you want to resize your ring as little as possible.
That is why there are other things you can do to temporarily resize your engagement ring. Here are some of the most popular temporary options to resize a ring.
Sizing Beads
Sizing beads are beads of metal that have been soldered in the inner shank of the ring. When the ring is put on, the sizing beads apply some pressure against the finger, just enough to tighten without making it uncomfortable. Sizing beads are temporary resizers and can be removed by a jeweler. The jeweler is able to remove them, leaving no traces of the sizing beads once they’re no longer needed.
Sizing Bar
A sizing bar is a straight piece of metal placed across the bottom of the ring shank to increase its size. The jeweler will solder this bar in place. Like sizing beads, the jeweler is able to remove when necessary and eliminate traces of it within the shank.
Plastic Sizers
Plastic sizers are cheap and very temporary. These cost a lot less than having a jeweler solder beads or bars into your engagement ring. They may also be called temporary resizers. Typically, plastic sizers look like clear tubing with a slit in it that goes over the bottom of the ring shank. Sometimes they look like a spiraling plastic wire that you wrap around the bottom of your ring shank. These are good for when you need a tighter fit for pictures or a special occasion. Plastic ring sizers aren’t comfortable, nor are they the best solution for resizing.
Spring Insert
Spring inserts are similar to the sizing bar with the way a metal bar is placed at the bottom of the ring shank. Instead of remaining stationary, the flat metal bar is spring-loaded. This allows the wearer to slip the ring easily over the knuckle, letting the bar spring back into place for a tighter fit. It is an excellent option for those with arthritis or whose rings spin because they are top-heavy.
There are many ways to temporarily resize an engagement ring or wedding band. You may also solder a wedding band to an engagement ring for tighter fit. If you’re not sure on which option may be the best for you, consult your jeweler for the best way to resize your engagement ring.
Conclusion
When you buy an engagement ring, the ring size you get is not always the one that fits. An engagement ring should be easy to slide on, but a little harder to tug off. If your ring is too tight, you run the risk of it hurting you or having to be cut off. If it’s too loose, you can potentially lose it or damage it if it flies off.
Resizing an engagement ring should only happen once or twice, not over and over again. Some types of engagement rings can’t be resized and will need to be ordered in the appropriate size. If a ring is resized too many times, it can result in weakened metal and a broken ring shank.
If you find that your engagement ring is a little too big or a little too small, you may opt for a temporary resizing solution instead of a permanent one. Sizing beads, sizer bars, spring inserts, and plastic sizers are all alternatives to having a jeweler cut into your ring for permanent resizing.