Concerns about sizing hand forged ring

[QueenofDiamonds33]

My boyfriend and I recently had a beautiful plain shank ring made by Victor Canera. Technically I'm not wearing the ring yet (bc my boyfriend hasn't proposed) - but he did let me see it/try it on to make sure everything looked ok. Unfortunately it's just a little too big! It's not going to fall off, but definitely flops/spins around. I think it probably needs to be sized down 1/8-1/4 of a size (not too much).

I hate to have someone else alter the ring. Is it crazy to send it back to Victor to be re-sized? (Crazy as in the cost to ship it both directions). Would you trust a local jeweler to do something simple like sizing a ring?

Opinions appreciated! Thanks

 

[Harpertoo]

Have you considered sizing beads?
I think I would be reluctant to size down such a small amount especially if you experience any changes with the seasons.

 

[ame]

My boyfriend and I recently had a beautiful plain shank ring made by Victor Canera. Technically I'm not wearing the ring yet (bc my boyfriend hasn't proposed) - but he did let me see it/try it on to make sure everything looked ok. Unfortunately it's just a little too big! It's not going to fall off, but definitely flops/spins around. I think it probably needs to be sized down 1/8-1/4 of a size (not too much).

I hate to have someone else alter the ring. Is it crazy to send it back to Victor to be re-sized? (Crazy as in the cost to ship it both directions). Would you trust a local jeweler to do something simple like sizing a ring?

Opinions appreciated! Thanks

IF you size it, have Victor size it. It's worth it to ship to him, he crafted it. I'd consider sizing beads before sizing that little.

But before you do that, I would see if your boyfriend can let you wear it first thing in the morning, in the middle of the day or the evening for an hour (what time of day did you try it on?) before you do ANYTHING. Your ring size is going to change during the day a few times. It might feel tight sometimes, loose others, and perfect others. And when you pair it with a band it will get snugger. If it's really cold where you are right now, that factors as well. In the summer your fingers will be more swollen vs the winter when they shrink.

 

[QueenofDiamonds33]

I didn't think of sizing beads (actually didn't know what they were, but just did a search). Can I have a local jeweler put those in?

I tried it on at night first, which is definitely when it's the loosest. I did try it on this morning again, and it's definitely not as loose - but could still probably use 1/8 size down. I haven't tried it on with other bands yet (another good point) - but I would feel weird going somewhere and doing that prior to the actual proposal I think my boyfriend just wants to have it "ready" and the right size so that I can wear it immediately when the time comes. But I think I will take your suggestion and wait until I can try it on with other bands.

The sizing beads - they can be added and removed without altering the ring? Thinking I will need to do something for sure while I'm engaged, but maybe after we are eventually married with the extra band it might be ok.

As far as weather, I live in South Florida - it's always pretty hot But definitely not as hot right now as the summer months.

 

[liaerfbv]

I didn't think of sizing beads (actually didn't know what they were, but just did a search). Can I have a local jeweler put those in?

I tried it on at night first, which is definitely when it's the loosest. I did try it on this morning again, and it's definitely not as loose - but could still probably use 1/8 size down. I haven't tried it on with other bands yet (another good point) - but I would feel weird going somewhere and doing that prior to the actual proposal I think my boyfriend just wants to have it "ready" and the right size so that I can wear it immediately when the time comes. But I think I will take your suggestion and wait until I can try it on with other bands.

The sizing beads - they can be added and removed without altering the ring? Thinking I will need to do something for sure while I'm engaged, but maybe after we are eventually married with the extra band it might be ok.

As far as weather, I live in South Florida - it's always pretty hot But definitely not as hot right now as the summer months.

I wouldn't do anything until you try it with a band. I also live in Florida and my ring right now is loose with 2 other stackers, and in the summer I can only wear a tiny spacer with my ring bc of heat swelling. If you are planning on a long engagement, I might consider sizing beads but if you're getting married relatively soon after the proposal I'd probably just make it work until you have the wedding band.

 

[m-2-b]

I would not have anyone else other than Victor work on it b/c you may void the warranty on your ring.

 

[QueenofDiamonds33]

Thanks for pointing out m2b.

liaerfbv - good to know! Wedding won't be soon (probably a year) - but definitely makes me want to wait and try on additional bands.

 

[distracts]

Just for 1/4 of a size, I wouldn't bother.

 

[VRBeauty]

I'd also send it back to Victor for any alterations. If you do opt for sizing beads, make sure they can be placed in a way that doesn't interfere with the maker's mark or purity mark. I had sizing bars put in my first ever semi-custom ring, and the jeweler wiped out the maker's mark when they did so.

 

[ame]

Don't let ANYONE touch it that is not Victor. Spend the money and time to have HIM do it. Why risk having someone do a terrible job?

 

[Rockdiamond]

General comments about hand forged rings:
1) Do not allow anyone to work on your ring other than the company you bought it from- or if it must be another bench, make sure the bench does hand forged work.
Many times a shop will take on a job, even though they may not be capable of actually doing work which is on par with the manufacturer.
2) avoid adjusting the size of hand forged shanks as much as possible. This even applies to adding balls to the ring.
The reason is that what people love about the look of cut down pave is the way the diamond stands out.
The diamonds look this way because the cut down pave setting style places less metal on each diamond than most other setting methods. When done correctly, the superior integrity of the extruded metal means the stones in cut down pave are relatively safe.
But any polishing of the shank ( which actually removes metal from the prongs), may cause future stone loss.

 

[QueenofDiamonds33]

Thanks for all the comments, so helpful! I'm going to wait on any sizing changes (or beads) until I've had a chance to wear the ring for awhile and try on bands. If I do decide to make any changes I will send to Victor.

Appreciate all the feedback

 

[HappyNewLife]

if you don't have it sized, please make sure you have it insured. I read a post here recently from a poster whose ring fell off and wasn't found because it was too big.

 

[ame]

if you don't have it sized, please make sure you have it insured. I read a post here recently from a poster whose ring fell off and wasn't found because it was too big.

YES. It needs to be insured regardless.

 

[artdecolover71]

personally, I hate sizing beads! I know some people love them but just wanted to add my two cents, I would have it sized by VC.

 

[denverappraiser]

Send it to Victor. That includes sizing beads if you want to go that direction. He surely has an arrangement with FedEx or UPS to do the shipping if you need assistance and Jewelers Mutual and most other insurers cover the insurance during the shipping process as long as it's a trackable package. Ask your agent for specific rules as they relate to your own policy but the combination of these two may make the shipping less than you are expecting.

 

[ame]

I am a huge fan of sizing beads myself. I have them (well, had them) in my engagement ring because my knuckle is huge compared to my actual finger. It makes a huge difference. But I would absolutely wait til you try it on with bands before you size it to make sure you need to do anything at all.

 

[arkieb1]

I agree send it to Victor, a lot of other jewellers do a really ordinary job, to ensure that you don't void any warranty or possibly destroy any pave or any of the work it really should go back to him.