Ring sizing + re-sizing question

[frogman]

I have some questions on ring sizing and re-sizing.

I have a jeweler who will make the e-ring I designed for my GF. The setting will be a simple, half-bezel platinum setting, no side stones. More than 3/4 of the ring will be feature-free which I have read here is good for resizing.

I don''t know her exact size. I have a general idea (from rings she used to wear on her other hand, and seeing our hands side by side). This is a surprise, and I''d really like to present the ring to her in the designed setting since I think it would be much more exciting for her (she does not like prong settings, so the typical temporary one isn''t a good thing for first-impression value!).

My questions:

1. The jeweler will be casting the ring (platinum). Can it then be resized after?

2. I assume it''s better to get a little too big, so she can at least enjoy putting it on once. Can rings easily be made smaller, as well as larger? It seems that ''stretching'' would work, but ''compressing'' one seems a little odd as to how that would work.

3. Will re-sizing be an issue if I have the ring inscribed in the inside? How does this not ruin the inscription? Is it stretched uniformly, or stretched along a part of the ring?

4. Any tips for finding out her size? My gal is a smart cookie and going to try on costume rings, or getting her one as a ''just because'' gift to test size will be entirely transparent to her. She *is* a heavy sleeper though... Measure the finger with a string? Measure at the knuckle, or somewhere else?

THANKS!!

PS- Great community here - thanks to everyone for previous informative posts, and thanks in advance for help with my Q!

 

[noobie]

1. Yes




2. Yes, bigger is usually better. They can cut it and weld it back together. You won't know the difference, if it's sized within reason.




3. Yes, sizing up by stretching will stretch the inscription. Going down will cut it off. Better to inscribe after properly sized




4. Borrow a set of sizing rings from your jeweler and size her finger while sleeping if you think you can get away with it. Sneak a current ring to double check. Remember fingers can vary by half a size during the day.

 

[denverappraiser]

frogman,

1. The jeweler will be casting the ring (platinum). Can it then be resized after?

Most cast rings can be resized without too much difficulty but there are certain designs that require that it be right the first time. Your jeweler should be able to answer this.

2. I assume it's better to get a little too big, so she can at least enjoy putting it on once. Can rings easily be made smaller, as well as larger? It seems that 'stretching' would work, but 'compressing' one seems a little odd as to how that would work.

Usually sizing involves cutting open the ring at the bottom center and either removing or inserting a piece. The joints are then either welded or soldered. Stretching and compressing are not usually applicable terms.

3. Will re-sizing be an issue if I have the ring inscribed in the inside? How does this not ruin the inscription? Is it stretched uniformly, or stretched along a part of the ring?

The inscription will need to be redone after sizing unless the amount of text is small enough that the jeweler can size in a different area of the ring. If you can arrange it, don't have the engraving done until you get the size right.

4. Any tips for finding out her size? My gal is a smart cookie and going to try on costume rings, or getting her one as a 'just because' gift to test size will be entirely transparent to her. She *is* a heavy sleeper though... Measure the finger with a string? Measure at the knuckle, or somewhere else?

1) Snag a ring that you know fits and take it to a jeweler. They will be able to measure it. Try not to pick her favorite and she will be less likely to miss it while you have it. Return it quickly and she will never know.
2) Ask her mother. Mother's know EVERYTHING.

3)Try one of her rings onto one of your fingers and notice how far it goes over the various knuckles and such. Go to a jeweler and try on their ring sizers until you find one that seems to fit the same way.
4) Carefully measure the inside diameter of one of her rings and then ask the people here to translate it into a finger size.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver
www.gemlab.us

 

[noobie]

----------------
On 8/6/2004 4:07:34 PM denverappraiser wrote:





Stretching and compressing are not usually applicable terms.


1) Snag a ring that you know fits and take it to a jeweler. They will be able to measure it. Try not to pick her favorite and she will be less likely to miss it while you have it. Return it quickly and she will never know.
2) Ask her mother. Mother's know EVERYTHING.

3)Try one of her rings onto one of your fingers and notice how far it goes over the various knuckles and such. Go to a jeweler and try on their ring sizers until you find one that seems to fit the same way.
4) Carefully measure the inside diameter of one of her rings and then ask the people here to translate it into a finger size.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver
www.gemlab.us

----------------

Neil, I have had rings nudged up by 1/4 size by stretching on a few occasions. Is that not a good way to do it?

Good ideas on the ring sizing, I've had varying degrees of luck them, maybe you will have more!

1. Tried that. There was variance depending on width of band, but it was close, within 1/4 to 1/2 size, could be close enough for what you want.

2. Never thought of that!

3. This one worked the worse for me. Couldn't get within a half size

4. Never thought how silly I looked with pieces of string and paper trying to get the size. Evn tried the free plastic sizing ring from BN.

In the end the sizing rings worked the best, Good luck

 

[diamondsbylauren]

A few words of caution on resizing.
1) in a bezel situation, any adjusment of size may cause the stone to come loose- this may happen making it larger, or smaller

2) if the proper care is not taken, there may be a visible line where the ring had been cut

3) if there is engraving, and it resides on the bottom of the ring, it be damaged during sizing.
For this reason we stamp KT and our trade stamp at 8 and 4 oclock on the shank- this way we can resize and not damage the inscription, or stamp.

I suggest that you "borrow" a ring that fits her- the string methid is....well, less than accurate.

Best of luck- congratulations on your engagement! You lucky devil!!!

 

[denverappraiser]

Stretching works on certain designs. It can cause problems for the galleries underneith stones and other structural elements. It also becomes a problem for designs that vary substantially in thickness across the piece because it will tend to stretch more at the thin areas.

Guessing a size to within a 1/4-1/2 size is doing pretty well with any of these kind of methods. You aren't going to get much better accuracy with a sizer in her sleep either. There's a decent chance that this is going to end up being resized anyway without the benefit of some good old fashioned luck. Sizing down a little bit will probably cost less than $50 so it's not really a big commitment to just pick a size and see how it goes. Personally, I think the opportunity to make it a surprize is well worth the risk.

Neil Beaty GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver
www.gemlab.us

 

[denverappraiser]

Stretching works on certain designs. It can cause problems for the galleries underneith stones and other structural elements. It also becomes a problem for designs that vary substantially in thickness across the piece because it will tend to stretch more at the thin areas.

Guessing a size to within a 1/4-1/2 size is doing pretty well with any of these kind of methods. You aren't going to get much better accuracy with a sizer in her sleep either. There's a decent chance that this is going to end up being resized anyway without the benefit of some good old fashioned luck. Sizing down a little bit will probably cost less than $50 so it's not really a big commitment to just pick a size and see how it goes. Personally, I think the opportunity to make it a surprize is well worth the risk.

Neil Beaty GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver
www.gemlab.us

 

[boonerings]

Another thing to try: On the rings that you know fit her, see if a coin such as a penny or a dime happens to be the exact size of the ID. I had a customer today that didn't have a clue about the size for her husband, and she tried a nickel, and it fit exactly. Try to stay away from the paper or string. From experience, I'll say they are often 3 sizes off or so. (A quarter size relates to the thickness of a couple sheets of paper on the diameter.) You would sometimes do better to guess!

I measure a dime at .705", which is just about a size 7.75, a penny at .750" is about a size 9, and a nickel at .836" is a size 11.75.

 

[bar01]

I am in the same situation. I am looking at a basic platnium three stone ring. I have come down to to options

1) See if I can steal one of her rings. But she hardley ever wears a ring and I am not in a situation were I would be in her appartment alone going through her jewelery box.

2) Ask her mom to help. This will probably be my best option.

3) Go big and down size

4) Get a really (really) cheap setting for the proposal.


But I do have a general question for everyone here - is there a typical size that is considered average for most women? Or is it all over the map?

 

[denverappraiser]

The stock size for most manufacturers is 6 1/2.

Neil Beaty, GG, ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver
www.gemlab.us

 

[boonerings]

The size I see most commonly for women is size 6.