Any experience with having wedding ring sized down?

[jmk22574]

Hello everyone.....I'm thrilled to report that I've lost 35 pounds since the first of the year and hope to lose another 35 by the time our cruise to Alaska rolls around in May 2007. I'm not a jewelry person at all, so I have a couple of questions. My wedding ring is already getting pretty loose and if it happens to fall off at home or in my car I'm not too worried, but by the time our cruise rolls around I don't want to lose it while on the ship. Can anyone tell me what exactly it entails to have a ring sized down? Do they have to cut the band, etc.? Does anyone know an estimate of what I should look to pay to have this done? Thanks for all replies!;)

[Joy2theWorld]

Is it just a solid band or does it have stones inlaid or anything? I wanted an eternity band for my wedding band, but knew that was impossible to size and I knew sizing would probably be required sometime in the future. If it is a solid band, it is much easier to do and depending on how much you want it sized down, they may cut it. Sometimes you can get a piece inserted into the ring that will kind of bend to your finger. I forget what they are called. My mother has one in her wedding band and it allows for a little fluctuation in sizes. Depending on what kind of jeweler you go to, I wouldn't think sizing should cost more than $20. My mom just had one done and the jeweler didn't charge her anything actually even though she didn't purchase the item with them. Some jewelers offer it for free if you purchased the item with them.

[jmk22574]

Thanks so much for your response (and I see you live in Tennessee, we're in Murfreesboro). Being probably the most clueless female when it comes to jewelry, I do know that it is an anniversary band because the only thing I asked for in this ring was that it not have any pieces sticking out of it, I wanted it completely round. It does have a double row of diamonds inlaid within the top of the band, but everything else is plain. I'll have to check into this piece that could possibly be added to the ring to possibly grip it better to my finger. Thanks again!

[judy&steve]

The ring guard that they would put into the ring is really just a temporary thing. It can actually dig into your finger.

Having lost lots of weight, I have a collection of wedding bands.

Sizing rings, even simple bands, may not necessarily be cheap. If the ring is platinum, it will be quite expensive to size. If it is a special design, they may have to put in a permanent guard (sort of an omega shaped thing) that will hold it on your finger. I have a dome shaped ring that got too big on me and it was unsizable. I took it back to the place (H. Stern) where it was purchased and they inserted the guard in it. It was also not inexpensive.

With stones, you really want to make sure you take it to a reputable place, to make sure that the heating process they may use doesn't damage the stones or setting.

My first wedding band was a wide gold band with several smaller bands of different colors of gold around it. Sizing it down several sizes was difficult and left a slight "scar". Years later, I had it cut open and placed a diamond in it.

You may want to get an inexpensive "in between" ring to wear until you get to your anticipated weight. Or you can do what I did -- have a wedding band in every size from a 6 to a 4!!

--Judy

[saltydog28]

jmk- congratulations on the weight loss. That little piece of metal that makes the ring tighter is called a ring guard. It should be about $5 at a jewelers.

 

Pat.

[desperatehousewife]

Congrats!!! Congrats!!

That is sooo fantastic!

Yes, I have had mine made larger and then smaller again....3 babies!

My band itself is made of white gold with diamonds set in both baguettes and channel set. It is not attached to my diamond ring, it is seperate.

I have has no problems, but then the diamonds do not go all the way around... I had no problems whatsoever!

If I recall the last time I had it resized smaller it was around $60 at a very reputable jewler whom I trust implicitly.

[sgttami]

Congrats on the weight loss....

 

There are tons of jewelry stores in Alaska (just like the Caribbean).

 

Maybe by May '07 you'll just have to get a new ring for your efforts and your losses!!

[KLLund]

If it is a band with stones all the way around you can have a couple of different things done .. one is called sizing globes .. they are small bead like pieces that are fixed to the band at the back to fit it to size .. they aren't very comfortable .. but they do make it fit well .. or you can have a permanent band affixed to the gold like a ring guard but that only really works well for a small size difference.

 

more expensive is to have the band cut and put back together if it is a major sizing job and it will take a really good jeweler to do that .. ask to see samples of the work .. and keep any stones they have to remove.

 

I lost 90 pounds some years ago and having the ring sized was my biggest headache.

 

If I had it to do over .. I would take the ring to a jeweler .. pick out a similar setting and have it all re-set to the correct size in a new ring and call it my present to myself for all that work to lose the weight.

[blambition]

First of all let me congratulate you on your weight loss!!! That was the hard part, the ring sizing is easy just make sure you go to a really good jeweler. I lost a total of 75 pounds over the last couple of years so I also had to size my rings. I took my wedding and engagement ring along with another family ring in and had them done and I also got tired of them being yellow gold so I had them rodium plate them to make them white gold. I will say I love them in white gold and the diamonds really pop with the white background. Wedding ring has 2 rows of channel set diamonds only half way around the ring. I think it cost between $150.00-$200.00

Just to let you know they still turn around on me yet they do not come on and off my finger very easily. Jeweler said that the guard with the bead would prevent the ring from moving on your finger but I didn't like the look , price (after what I had just spent) or what I thought it would feel like.

Vicki

[BlueHerons]

The quickest fix would be to buy an additional thin band to wear on the outside of your rings in the correct size to keep the larger ring from sliding off.

 

I'd be hesitant to have it sized and ring guards are what I wore in high school when I got my boyfriends class ring.

[cindy58]

One thing to keep in mind is that my fingers tend to swell in the heat -- I have bought rings on cruises that fit my right ring finger and when I get home they will fit on my middle or index finger of the left hand!

 

So it's a choice for me to either buy my usual size for my ring finger, knowing it will be tight or I may not even be able to get it on while on the cruise -- or up a 1/4 or 1/2 size, knowing it will fit another finger later.

 

My local jeweler charges about $30 to resize an average ring.