What Are The Effects Of Resizing A Ring?

When a ring doesn’t fit properly, you may find yourself wondering if you can resize it, especially when it is sentimental jewelry, like a wedding ring. You can resize your rings, but to ensure that the jewelry is not damaged, professional tools and expertise are required. 

There are also limitations to how many times a ring can be resized according to its metal type and gem configuration. It is always best to consult a professional jewelry store for advice.

The following article answers some of the most common questions about resizing a ring, including how the resizing process works, and whether you can do it yourself.

How Many Times Can You Resize A Ring?

Most rings can be resized two times over their lifetime before it starts to degrade the integrity of the metal leading to irreversible damage. Rings with simple bands are always the easiest to resize. 

If the band is inlaid with gems or diamonds, it may limit its capacity to be resized multiple times or at all. Each time a ring is resized, it loses a little bit of its strength and resilience, so be sure that jewelry repair is necessary.

What Is The Resizing Process?

Downsizing

• When making a ring smaller, a jewelry store will cut a small section out of the band and solder the ring back together in the smaller size.

Upsizing

• When making the ring bigger, a jewelry store may stretch the ring or decide to add metal to the band to increase its circumference. Stretching the ring’s metal can weaken the structure and cause a distortion of its shape, which is why Dorano Jewelry doesn’t recommend that option.
• Jewelry repair shops recommend that you add metal when upsizing a ring. This is done by cutting the metal band and soldering a small new piece of metal onto the old band. The band is then polished, and the repair disguised.

Can All Rings Be Resized?

Rings with the extensive decoration of jewels embedded in the band of the ring will be very difficult to resize. It can still be possible, but it may damage the ring and lower its value so be sure that it is worth it. Gold, silver, and platinum are the easiest metals for jewelers to work with, while rose gold has the potential to crack during the resizing process, and titanium and tungsten rings are too hard of a material to resize.

Can You Resize Your Own Ring?

If you want to risk causing irreversible damage to your ring, then there are many DIY videos that you can try. But only a professional and skilled jeweler can limit the potential damage to the ring while performing the needed repair task. 

Family-owned and highly rated jewelry stores, such as Dorano Jewelry in Arcadia, have the correct tools to resize rings without damaging them and can help you evaluate the best route for your individual jewelry repairs needs.