Taking apart a diamond eternity band and having it re-made/re-sized

[KristyDarling]

Help! My ring finger has grown from 3.5 to 4.5 very suddenly (thank you, mid-40s ) and now none of my diamond eternity bands fit. I can still jam them on, but it turns my finger meat bright red and causes it to puff up even more. I think it's time to start researching what's involved in re-making an eternity band.

Since my fingers probably aren't done "growing," I'm thinking the new rings shouldn't be full eternities, but rather almost-eternities with a little sizing bar.

If you've ever dismantled an eternity band and re-used the stones for a new band, I'd love to hear about your experience, e.g. cost of the re-make, factors you considered, what the new design was, how many sizes up you went, etc. Thank you!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

"finger meat"

I can't help with your questions but I wanted to let you know you are not alone in the finger growth department! Between age and recovery from illness, my finger size has slowly grown from a 7 to a 10.5 over the past three years I am trying to roll with it, lol.

Besides, you know what they say about ladies with big hands

(big rings)

 

[KristyDarling]

Dreamer, you crack me up! Glad to know I'm not alone. I need to get over this and all the other annoying changes I'm starting to see in my body/face...and roll with it, as you say!

And of course, we the meaty-fingered have no choice but to upsize our diamonds for proportional reasons!

 

[nala]

What size and specs are your stones? I think a lot depends on that.

 

[Bron357]

Unless your existing eternity ring contains nice quality diamonds and/or you have a sentimental attachment, the cost of remaking will be very high. You might be better off selling and purchasing new to suit.
Remember that even 3/4 eternity bands generally can’t be sized more than 1 size in any regard. “Opening” the circle shape to increase diameter puts pressure on the prongs. Going down in size can be more simply done with sizing beads or inside insert.

 

[cflutist]

Can't say that I have.
Went from 3.25 in my 20s to 4.5 in my 60s.
I had my first eternity band reamed out a bit and that worked for awhile. Then I just started ordering them larger. I have a whole bunch of them now.

I would say, just order a new one.

 

[axelrich]

Can't say that I have.
Went from 3.25 in my 20s to 4.5 in my 60s.
I had my first eternity band reamed out a bit and that worked for awhile. Then I just started ordering them larger. I have a whole bunch of them now.

I would say, just order a new one.

Well that's a good advice.

 

[KristyDarling]

What size and specs are your stones? I think a lot depends on that.

Hi Nala! I only have the exact specs for one of my 3 eternities. I have:

• Band with rounds, 20-points each
• Dainty pave band with rounds, about 1.5mm wide
• French-cut channel set band (square frenchies) about 3.2 or 3.3mm wide including the setting

Unless your existing eternity ring contains nice quality diamonds and/or you have a sentimental attachment, the cost of remaking will be very high. You might be better off selling and purchasing new to suit.
Remember that even 3/4 eternity bands generally can’t be sized more than 1 size in any regard. “Opening” the circle shape to increase diameter puts pressure on the prongs. Going down in size can be more simply done with sizing beads or inside insert.

Hi Bron! Such helpful information, thank you! All 3 rings have high-quality stones (from Whiteflash, ERD/Brilliantly Engaged, and David Klass), which is why I'd love to be able to re-use them. But if the cost of dismantling/re-setting the stones exceeds the cost of buying new rings, then it makes sense to try to sell them. It just bums me out because of the financial hit I'd have to take in selling them.

Can't say that I have.
Went from 3.25 in my 20s to 4.5 in my 60s.
I had my first eternity band reamed out a bit and that worked for awhile. Then I just started ordering them larger. I have a whole bunch of them now.

I would say, just order a new one.

Hi Cflutist! Wow, you had a teeny tiny finger! Mine is 4.5 now and my guess is it'll grow even more. You're so lucky that you topped out at 4.5! If I were to order a new eternity, I'd probably go for a size 5 and then add sizing pads for now.

Well that's a good advice.

Hi Axelrich! Judging by the responses thus far I'm beginning to think you're right!

 

[Gussie]

I think it may be cost effective to reuse the 20 pointers and the French cuts but probably not for the small pave eternity.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think it may be cost effective to reuse the 20 pointers and the French cuts but probably not for the small pave eternity.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[KristyDarling]

I think it may be cost effective to reuse the 20 pointers and the French cuts but probably not for the small pave eternity.

I was thinking the same thing.

Solid advice, thank you ladies!

 

[baby monster]

I would guess that 3.5 size is a limited market so I think you have to consider how long it'll take to find a buyer for your rings. It might be more cost efficient to dismantle and reuse 20pt and frenchies.

 

[KristyDarling]

I would guess that 3.5 size is a limited market so I think you have to consider how long it'll take to find a buyer for your rings. It might be more cost efficient to dismantle and reuse 20pt and frenchies.

Thanks, baby monster! I'm definitely leaning that way. I may save the tiny pave band for my daughter, who has much slimmer fingers than me. She's a teenager but mostly physically grown so I'm guessing by the time she's an adult she may want to have it as a RHR (or even wedding ring/stacking band for if/when she gets married).

 

[Gem_rocks]

Should you end up selling, I’m a UK H (I thinks that’s a 3.75) and could be interested

 

[denverappraiser]

Your finger size is largely a function of your choice of parents and your age. Women (and men) in their 80’s always seem to have bigger knuckles than those same people in their 20’s. It’s not a quick action so most people end up sizing their rings a few times over the course of their lives. The bright side is that it’s normally not all that difficult. I would call this a first world problem.


That said, sizing eternity rings can be tricky. It varies a lot with the design. It’s sometimes possible to shave metal from the inside for example. One size isn’t all that much metal and eternity rings are often fairly thick. As you point out, they can simply make a new ring using the same stones, possibly with a new one added, and sometimes it’s possible to make a piece to insert either with or without a stone. Have you asked your jeweler about it? Maybe redshank it into a half-eternity and then use the remaining stones to make a second ring or something else entirely?

 

[D&T]

I think it may be cost effective to reuse the 20 pointers and the French cuts but probably not for the small pave eternity.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I just reset about 9-10 pointers (11) as selling it would be more than a loss that I want to bear ( I usually see how much of a loss I could take vs what I can do with repurpose) to me so I was able repurpose to get a credit for my gold and put it in a new design that I love in platinum about $800 including my credit ring size 5. I calculated and looked around for similar bands with the same carat weight and it would cost more than what I could repurpose it for. If down the road I end up selling it I might lose a few hundred but at least I got to enjoy it in the new setting for a while.
The smaller melee diamond bands I would just try and sell.

 

[KristyDarling]

Thanks so much, @Gem_rocks - I will keep that in mind

@denverappraiser and @D&T - This is such helpful information!!! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience!

 

[Dee*Jay]

I had my shared prong eternity band (14 stones .33 to .35 cts each) remade by WF last year into a bezel set version and I LOVE it now! The ring was supposed to be a 5 originally but the jeweler made it a 4.5 because he told me I wear my rings too big. It was never comfortable and I rarely wore it. I had it remade into a 6 (I'm having all my rings made a 6 now), which is a little too big but I'm planning for the future. Plus, those little clear spiral things are AMAZING -- I even put one on my eternity band in the winter when my hands were really cold and it worked like a charm.

 

[D&T]

I went from left to right, I was going to lose too much on the ring... less than probably what a parcel of 1ctw would cost, just didn't make sense... now I can wear this... Speaking of going up in size, when I joined PS. I got engaged with a 3.75 ring size, when I joined PS I think I was at a size 4.5, now a size 5... I'm kicking myself, not going up to a 5.25... I hope I stop growing... I haven't done my part to maintain a certain weight, but here's hoping in the next little bit I get back on track (health wise)