platinum ring re-resizing question - please advise!

L

laitalavanille

Member
Nov 25, 2011
32
1
#1
I resized my platinum wedding rings during pregnancy. They look stretched - the bottom part of my diamond ring is too thin. My finger is now 1 size smaller and the ring is too big (back to original size - I wish I left the ring alone!) When I asked a jeweler about re-resizing they said they cut the bottom - that sounds as if they take metal out. I was hoping they could just push it back together, but that is not the way it works? Is it possible they could use the metal to re-thicken the bottom and to the way it was? Or have I ruined my ring for good and need new setting? It is not a plain setting and I really love it so I am hoping this is not what I have done :sad:
 
#2
Well, in terms of wearability, you can certainly keep your ring and get a proper fit by having a ring guard put on it. If you don't know what that is, it's a slim piece of flexible metal that clips onto the shank, and it serves to hold the ring in place if it's oversized. It's obviously not a true resizing but it does the trick to tighten it up, and nobody can tell and you don't feel it.

I've had that happen with resizing, too, where the shank got thinner at the bottom. I wonder if it's avoidable or not, I really don't know.
 
#3
It's not what you want to hear, but my mom dealt with the same problem and the local jeweler ruined her ring. Unfortunately, not all local jewelers are equal in service repairs.

I would NOT let the same person touch your ring, because you shouldn't have to lose platinum. Cutting and soldering just seems lazy.
 
#4
They should be using a laser welder and not soldering this, this is platinum, and not all platinum blends and solders are the same color or hardness. If you are sizing down, yes they do cut it out, and then weld the line and shape. At this point you might need to have it reshanked. Is it a branded setting? If so maybe find another dealer. If not find a jeweler whose work looks good to you, and go with them. Reworking another jewelers ring is often not a good thing for many bench jewelers, it's hard to know what they're working on, they have no idea what metals were used in that alloy.
 
#5
ame said:
They should be using a laser welder and not soldering this, this is platinum, and not all platinum blends and solders are the same color or hardness. If you are sizing down, yes they do cut it out, and then weld the line and shape. At this point you might need to have it reshanked. Is it a branded setting? If so maybe find another dealer. If not find a jeweler whose work looks good to you, and go with them. Reworking another jewelers ring is often not a good thing for many bench jewelers, it's hard to know what they're working on, they have no idea what metals were used in that alloy.
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What is reshanked exactly? And how much should I expect a reputable jeweler to charge for it?
 
#6
It will be based on the area you live in, you should check around for pricing on that.

Reshanking means they cut the ring in two places and replace that entirely with a new piece of metal. The top of the ring where the stone/any designs would stay the same. They would be rebuilding the bottom of the ring. Assuming that it's ONLY metal, not pave or channel or anything.
 
#7
In your case, my recommendation would be to have the ring re-shanked. They will cut off the shank where it joins the basket, and replace it with a brand new shank in the size and thickness you want. It will be a bit spendy (likely a few hundred dollars), but we've done this with antique settings (worn and thin shanks) with great success. A competent jeweler will make it look like it never happened - you wouldn't guess it's not the original shank.
 
#9
Well, sizing it down won't make the metal any thinner, and you don't want to risk losing the ring if it's too loose. At a minimum I'd have it sized down, and you can always consider a re-shank later down the line, if you're concerned about the thinness of the shank.

Take it from me, a ring that's too loose can just fly right off your finger, especially if you're cold. I had a 3.5ct diamond ring fly off my hand and onto the luggage carousel at an airport once because I had lost some weight and it was too loose. Scary!
 
#10
EricaD said:
Well, sizing it down won't make the metal any thinner, and you don't want to risk losing the ring if it's too loose. At a minimum I'd have it sized down, and you can always consider a re-shank later down the line, if you're concerned about the thinness of the shank.

Take it from me, a ring that's too loose can just fly right off your finger, especially if you're cold. I had a 3.5ct diamond ring fly off my hand and onto the luggage carousel at an airport once because I had lost some weight and it was too loose. Scary!
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OMG! I can just imagine you chasing it around the carousel, that must have been terrifying:wtf:
 
#11
Gimmethebag said:
I would NOT let the same person touch your ring, because you shouldn't have to lose platinum. Cutting and soldering just seems lazy.
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I also would not let the same jeweler touch your jewelry again. There is more than one way to size up a ring and it sounds like s/he stretched it instead of adding metal to increase the size. That's a cheap fix but unfortunately you get what you pay for and I personally wouldn't do that to a platinum ring :sad:
 
#12
I don't know if Erica's shop is an option for you but I'd consider giving them a go at fixing it. I don't know where youre located though and if you're willing to send it off if you aren't local to them.
 
#14
EricaD - I would have been terrified! Mine is not that big and still I would be terrified even of my ring. I have just not been wearing it. Same as when it was too small and I got frustrated and had it sized. Maybe I am just not meant to wear a diamond ring.
 
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