How To Resize An Engagement Ring - Brides

Key Takeaways

• Many engagement rings can be resized up to two sizes, so check with a jeweler for adjustments.
• It's best to use a sizing assistant temporarily if you cannot resize your ring right away.
• Not all rings, like eternity bands or tungsten, can be resized due to their specific materials.

Your significant other put a lot of time and effort into picking out the perfect engagement ring; and while they probably did their best to figure out your ring size, chances are they might have miscalculated the exact fit. Luckily, this isn't any cause for concern, as engagement rings are malleable and can easily be resized. But before you start looking up jewelers to handle this all-important task, there are a few things to know about ring resizing—and, ultimately, what you should and shouldn't do when adjusting the width of your wedding bauble.

The first essential tip? It's always best to consult with a professional to get this job done, particularly the original jeweler who sold you your ring. Can't return to the place where you bought your sparkler? Ask for referrals from friends or family to find a reputable jeweler you can trust. (Request to see some of their previous work and check their reviews online, as well.) It's also important to note that rings can be increased or decreased up to two sizes without causing too much stress on the metal, so be sure to keep that in mind when embarking on your resizing journey. The advice doesn't stop there, however!

Here, we spoke with a jeweler to highlight everything there is to know about engagement ring resizing. Consider this your ultimate guide on how to resize a wedding sparkler.

Meet the Expert

Jennifer Gandia is the owner of Greenwich St. Jewelers in New York City.

How to Repurpose an Old Engagement Ring

The Cost of Resizing an Engagement Ring

The cost of getting your engagement ring resized will depend largely on the type of metal you have, and how complicated and time-consuming the process will be. Most rings will likely take one to two weeks to complete, shares jeweler Jennifer Gandia, with the average price range being $20 for a simple resizing or more than $100 for a difficult job. Baubles with intricate designs and rare gemstones may increase this price, as can rings that have been previously manipulated in the past.

The Ultimate Engagement Ring Guide

Signs Your Engagement Ring Should Be Resized

Does your wedding ring easily spin around your finger? Has your bauble fallen off your hand one too many times? Or, is it nearly impossible to remove your sparkler? If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to head to a jeweler as soon as possible to get your ring resized.

Essentially, your engagement ring—and your wedding band, too—should fit snugly but comfortably on your finger. It should also slide on easily, while still requiring a little effort and pull to get it off. Meaning, if your bauble is uncomfortably tight or "if it slips off with no resistance at all," you should look into getting your sparkler resized to be bigger or smaller, Gandia explains.

How to Resize an Engagement Ring to Make It Smaller

To make an engagement ring smaller, your jeweler will cut out a piece of the band, solder it back together, and then clean it off and polish it for your everyday wear. Once the process is finished, there will be no evidence that the ring was ever cut.

Can't get your bauble professionally resized until a future date? Consider using a sizing assistant or ring guard to help make it a little more snug temporarily. But fair warning: These devices should only be used for a short amount of time as "a ring guard can damage the band" if worn for too long, explains Gandia.

Make sure to ask your jeweler if you can have the leftover metal they cut from your ring. It's called the "cutout" and it's good to hold on to in case you need to have your ring made larger in the future.

How to Resize an Engagement Ring to Make It Bigger

Making an engagement ring larger is a little more complicated than making it smaller—especially if you need your size to significantly increase. Specifically, if you need your ring to go up by more than a half size, your jeweler will have to cut the band and add in an extra piece of outside metal to get the right fit—a process that will take time, effort, and money. But if you only need to go up a half size, your jeweler will simply stretch the metal of your band in order to reach your desired fit.

Types of Engagement Rings That Can Be Resized

"For a ring to be resized, it needs to be made of a metal that a jeweler can work with such as silver, gold, or platinum," says Gandia. "There also needs to be enough room on the ring for the actual work to be done." Simply put, rings and bands that have minimum to zero stone settings are the best candidates for ring resizing.

Types of Engagement Rings That Cannot Be Resized

In terms of engagement rings that can't be resized, the below pieces are typically avoided by jewelers due to the design and internal structure of the metal.

• Eternity bands: Since stones are set all the way around these bands, there's no bare metal to work with, and thus, they can't be resized.
• Tungsten bands:Tungsten is a metal that's too hard for jewelers to manipulate and resize.
• Titanium bands: Some jewelers will avoid resizing titanium because it is very difficult to manipulate.

With all this in mind, if your sparkler is unable to be resized, consider wearing a second, tighter ring to help keep your loose bauble in place. Or, talk to a jeweler about remaking your engagement ring or wedding band in the correct size.

What Is the Average Carat Size for a Diamond Engagement Ring?