Rings need to be resized for all sorts of reasons, and it is a common service offered by jewellers. Like anything that takes skill to perform, some jewellers are better than resizing than others – so if you have to get your precious ring resized, have it done by the best! This means taking your time to find a truly great jeweller – ask for recommendations from friends, or ring around jewellers and ask who will be doing the resizing and how much experience they have. While you’re at it, ask the following questions as well:
- Will there be any visible signs or marks that show you’ve resized the ring?
- Will the ring be weaker as a result of resizing it?
- There are lots of stones in the band. Does that limit your options?
- How long will it take you?
Not every ring can be resized with a minimum of drama. A jeweller has to be able to work comfortably with the metal, such as gold, platinum and silver. And there should be enough room on the ring so that resizing can actually occur. Talented jewellers should be able to do the job in most cases, but these are things to consider – not only as you look for a jeweller to resize your ring, but also while you are purchasing it. After all, you don’t have to lose much weight for a ring to become loose on your finger – maybe so loose that it might fall off and be lost for ever. On the other hand, you don’t have to gain much weight for a ring to become uncomfortably tight. Given that most of us will lose or gain weight over the course of a ring’s lifetime, there’s every possibility that your treasured ring may need to be resized. So, again, consider that possibility when you purchase the ring and check it can actually be resized at all, without too much hassle and expense.
Another thing to check when you’re looking for a jeweller to resize your ring – will they do it onsite? Any jewellery repair, including resizing, that has to be carried out by a third party offsite is not ideal for a number of reasons. How can you be sure that the ring is secure while it’s being held in another premises? Are those premises insured? And as the person doing the resizing is not the person you originally dealt with, how do you know they’re capable of doing the job?
Look for a jeweller who can carry out the resizing onsite, and who offers safety, security and insured premises while your ring is in their care. That jeweller should have a good reputation, and years of experience in resizing. They’ll tell you honestly what is involved in the process, and explain how any work might affect the ring. And they’ll do the job themselves. Like any jewellery repair, the key to a good outcome when resizing is choosing the right person to do the job.
Marilyn Self is a writer, blogger and podcaster of health and technology. She has been a science journalist, a senior editor at Scientific American, and she’s written for many other publications she is a writer, blogger and podcaster.
A writer of health and technology, Marilyn is an author and editor of more than 60 books that have sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.