shape
carat
color
clarity

Need expert advice - resize two tone ring?

CalliopeCladdagh

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
332
Hi everyone,

I am in need of advice from the experts. We had my husband's wedding ring custom made, 18k yellow gold on the inside and the outer edges, and platinum on the outside.

It's too large and the jeweller who made it has now told us it's not possible to resize due to the two metals used. We were not told this in advance!

My husband does not want a new one made due to sentimental value.

Is there a way to resize these rings that I can discuss with the jeweller, or search for a different person who can do it? Nb. I am not located in the US.

Thank you!
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
How much too large is it?

Did the jeweler measure his finger before they created the ring?
 

Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 19, 2013
Messages
5,485
ugh- this sounds frustrating for you - I’m sorry!
Would also love to see a picture of his ring?
is the current jewelers reluctance to size due to the construction/design or due to the metals?
 

bludiva

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 23, 2017
Messages
3,076
i'm no expert but it seems like it would be resizeable if you don't mind that there would be a visible seam. perhaps the jeweler could place sizing bumps in the ring instead? sorry you are going through this! also take into account seasonal swelling/shrinking.
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
5,520
Is the WB the size you actually ordered, but now you are discovering you ordered the wrong size?

Or, did the jeweler make the WB in the wrong size?
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
6,131
Take the ring around to several different jewelers and ask about resizing. I’m not an expert but my guess is that someone who does it with a laser welder rather than solder will be able to do the resizing.
 

oldminer

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Sep 3, 2000
Messages
6,691
It can be sized, but it may not look exactly the same inside the ring The usual way would be to make sure it looked right on the outside as a primary goal. If it was ordered in a size that is incorrect, it ought to be ordered all over again in the correct size. If this was ordered some time ago and has been worn as the fingers changed in size, then likely a fix which looks cosmetically acceptable can be accomplished. Larger is more challenging than smaller.
A good photo of inside and outside would be useful.
 

CalliopeCladdagh

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
332
is the current jewelers reluctance to size due to the construction/design or due to the metals?
They say it can't be done as the two different metals react differently, have a different "compression point", or something.

How much too large is it?

Did the jeweler measure his finger before they created the ring?
It's approx 1.5 sizes too large in our sizing, which is about 0.75-1 size too large in US sizing. They gave us the sizing rings to try, we picked one that felt OK, he never checked it, but the finished ring feels much looser than the ring sizer.

i'm no expert but it seems like it would be resizeable if you don't mind that there would be a visible seam. perhaps the jeweler could place sizing bumps in the ring instead? sorry you are going through this! also take into account seasonal swelling/shrinking.
I'm not sure whether bumps would be sufficient as it falls straight off if his hands are cold or wet? A visible seam woule be preferable to a lost ring!

Is the WB the size you actually ordered, but now you are discovering you ordered the wrong size?

Or, did the jeweler make the WB in the wrong size?
It's the size we ordered based on the sizing rings we tried, but it feels a lot looser (partly because it's comfort fit I think and the samples were not)

Take the ring around to several different jewelers and ask about resizing. I’m not an expert but my guess is that someone who does it with a laser welder rather than solder will be able to do the resizing.
Thank you!

It can be sized, but it may not look exactly the same inside the ring The usual way would be to make sure it looked right on the outside as a primary goal. If it was ordered in a size that is incorrect, it ought to be ordered all over again in the correct size. If this was ordered some time ago and has been worn as the fingers changed in size, then likely a fix which looks cosmetically acceptable can be accomplished. Larger is more challenging than smaller.
A good photo of inside and outside would be useful.

It was only make a few months ago. Initially we were going to wait and see how it went but it falls straight off when his hands are cold or wet so he's worried about losing it. He doesn't want a new one ordered as this is the one he got married with and it's very sentimental. We don't mind it looking different on the inside, could you explain how it can be sized? Unfortunately I can't take a photo as the jeweller still has the ring, I only have one picture of it. It'd not very clear but the shiny edges are gold and the rest of the outside is brushed platinum. The inside is fully yellow gold.


0BCFDB2E-40AF-4A8B-88E3-444AB1041D0E.jpeg
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,198
Were they metal sizing rings or plastic sizing rings? Did the jeweler show you the size of the ring on the mandrel as well as the sizing ring on
the mandrel so that you can see they made it in the size you picked?

Is this a local jeweler or was this all done remotely? Just wondering how it could be so far off???
 

CalliopeCladdagh

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
332
Were they metal sizing rings or plastic sizing rings? Did the jeweler show you the size of the ring on the mandrel as well as the sizing ring on
the mandrel so that you can see they made it in the size you picked?

Is this a local jeweler or was this all done remotely? Just wondering how it could be so far off???

They were metal sizing rings. When we went back to have it resized, they checked it on their mandrels but the sizing rings and both mandrels all showed slightly different sizes. So there is some discrepancy with their tools, although only about 0.5 of a size. It's a local jeweller and the ring was custom forged (not cast).
 

CalliopeCladdagh

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
332
The style looks very similar to these examples from Google A0D8E53E-6ADB-4669-89C4-A38B8ECC3046.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • D19F2533-3C95-41E9-AACB-CB3414E2F69E.jpeg
    D19F2533-3C95-41E9-AACB-CB3414E2F69E.jpeg
    144.4 KB · Views: 198

ringo865

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 14, 2014
Messages
2,897
A small “speed bump” could be inserted in there, less knobby than the sizing beads. Or one of these “horseshoe” type things

96B6E416-F3C8-40A6-BEF2-226A92152D93.jpeg B66AA755-BDB5-4EC5-812B-1A6A0604956E.png
 

CalliopeCladdagh

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
332
UPDATE:

I went back and had a long discussion with the jeweller who now advises they can resize the ring by joining the platinum with white gold. There will be a line visible at the join.
Pros to this approach:
- done by original jeweller, keeps everything 'in house'
- free of charge
Possible cons:
- will joining platinum with white gold cause any issues with the overall strength or integrity of the band?
- visible seam with a different metal

I visited another jeweller who says they can weld the yellow gold using the traditional approach and use the laser on the platinum
Pros:
- no visible seam, ring will retain its original look and composition
Cons:
- expensive (approx $180 USD)
- jeweller acknowledges this is a tricky process, they might make a mistake, or mess it up, and since they are not the original makers of the ring I don't know what would happen if the ring gets messed up during the process

What do you all think we should do?

@oldminer
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
6,131
UPDATE:

I went back and had a long discussion with the jeweller who now advises they can resize the ring by joining the platinum with white gold. There will be a line visible at the join.
Pros to this approach:
- done by original jeweller, keeps everything 'in house'
- free of charge
Possible cons:
- will joining platinum with white gold cause any issues with the overall strength or integrity of the band?
- visible seam with a different metal

I visited another jeweller who says they can weld the yellow gold using the traditional approach and use the laser on the platinum
Pros:
- no visible seam, ring will retain its original look and composition
Cons:
- expensive (approx $180 USD)
- jeweller acknowledges this is a tricky process, they might make a mistake, or mess it up, and since they are not the original makers of the ring I don't know what would happen if the ring gets messed up during the process

What do you all think we should do?

@oldminer

I would go with the laser. Don't put white gold on the platinum. This isn't even a close contest for me. If you aren't confident about that jeweler's laser welding work, find another. But I'd definitely get it laser welded.

Ask to clarify if they have insurance that would cover the piece while they are working on it. If they don't, ask to clarify if your jewelry insurance policy or homeowner's would cover damage sustained during a repair.

I can't suss out from what you've said if your jeweler isn't confident in their ability to do the work or was just giving you a standard disclaimer.
 

CalliopeCladdagh

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
332
I would go with the laser. Don't put white gold on the platinum. This isn't even a close contest for me. If you aren't confident about that jeweler's laser welding work, find another. But I'd definitely get it laser welded.

Ask to clarify if they have insurance that would cover the piece while they are working on it. If they don't, ask to clarify if your jewelry insurance policy or homeowner's would cover damage sustained during a repair.

I can't suss out from what you've said if your jeweler isn't confident in their ability to do the work or was just giving you a standard disclaimer.

Thank you!
Do you mean the original jeweller? I asked about using a laser and he just said it couldn't be done. I didn't push him further at that time as to why not. When I mentioned that to the new jeweller (who is offering the laser), he said the original jeweller was "being old-school".
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
6,131
Thank you!
Do you mean the original jeweller? I asked about using a laser and he just said it couldn't be done. I didn't push him further at that time as to why not. When I mentioned that to the new jeweller (who is offering the laser), he said the original jeweller was "being old-school".

I mean go with not the original jeweler and all my advice was regarding that. I agree that the original jeweler is probably being old school, lol
 

oldminer

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Sep 3, 2000
Messages
6,691
I was an old school bench jeweler before I gradually became an appraiser. I believe the ring could be sized smaller and have nominal visibility of any seams. I doubt they would be invisible, but it would be far from highly visible.

The ring might be very hard metal and difficult to completely round up, but a little piece taken out would not mess up the roundness a great deal. I doubt anyone but a close observer could see the seam. Truthfully, who looks that closely at a man's wedding ring on the hand? Not much to like or not. Even with seams, it sends the "I'm married" signal.

Considering the sentimental value of this ring, I would not hesitate to try to make it the right size. If it ever needed to be made larger, a jeweler would re-open the seam and put in the necessary metal. Maybe, you could save the chunk being cut out for a future re-adjustment. Skillfully done, I don't think it will be a bad looking outcome.

Second hand a wedding ring is worth scrap. If the repair fails, then you have scrap and must make a new one. You can't change this reality. You might buy a less costly yet similar new one now in the correct size and just save this custom one for some years from now when the finger will demand a larger size.

This one will be your sentiment filled spare for the future and you can scrap the cheaper one one that no longer fits. Few of us escape having our fingers or knuckles get a little larger over time. Plan ahead!
 

AdaBeta27

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 7, 2004
Messages
1,077
Can they just solder a smaller ring or partial ring to the inside of the wedding ring, to decrease the diameter? That seems the least complicated and doesn't involve cutting the original ring.
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top