The How’s and Why’s to Ring Resizing
“The good news is that we’re pregnant, well more accurately she is… the bad news is that the fishtail pave setting that we purchased from Brian Gavin is getting a little tight and needs to be resized, as does the diamond eternity band that we bought from you. We’re wondering what the best way is to have the rings resized. Should we send the rings back to Brian Gavin for sizing? Is there a way to leave a little extra room so that the rings continue to fit throughout the remainder of the pregnancy? How much does it cost to resize a ring? And finally, how easy is it to reverse the process after she has given birth and her finger size returns to normal?”
How much does finger size change during pregnancy?
All right, so the thing is that practically all women experience a slight change in finger size during pregnancy. It is normal for the rings to get a little tight, and there might even be a period where it is best to take the rings off and store them in a safe place.
Most of our clients report that their ring size changes from between half of a finger size, to one full finger size during pregnancy, but then their finger size usually returns to normal shortly after giving birth. Many women can wear their rings throughout their entire pregnancy without having to resize them.
How do you size a ring up or down?
The fishtail pave setting by Brian Gavin has accent diamonds that cover about three quarters of the band, but then there is an open section of metal that is intended to make it easier to size the ring up or down about one finger size. Sizing a ring with this type of construction is easy enough. We’ll cut the ring shank, add in a small piece of metal, solder it in place using a laser welder, and then hand finish the section out so that it matches the original contour of the ring shank.
Sizing a ring down involves the same process, however a little bit of metal is removed to size the ring down. Then the ring shank is soldered back together again using a laser welder, and the ring is again hand finished to match the original contour of the ring. The cost to size a ring up or down varies upon the construction style of the ring, the number of diamonds set in the ring which might need to be retightened as the curvature of the ring changes slightly, and the basic labor involved.
It is not nearly as easy to resize an eternity ring, because the diamonds are set all the way around the circumference of the ring. Thus, diamonds either must be added or removed to size the ring. Generally speaking, it is only possible to size eternity rings up or down in even sizes. It is not recommended to size an eternity ring for short periods of time.
Should I have my ring resized?
The thing that each person must decide during this period of their lives is “should I have my ring resized” for such a short period of time? From our perspective, it does not make sense to size rings up and down unless the change in finger size is permanent.
One of the reasons is because each time a ring is sized up or down, the ring is going to incur a little bit of metal stress from being flexed. As stated previously, the curvature of the ring is going to change ever so slightly. And in this instance, it is likely that her finger size is going to return to normal pretty fast.
What if my ring is just a little bit too loose?
Since we’re on the subject of ring sizing, I’m going to address a common issue experienced by a lot of women. The dilemma presented by the knuckle of the finger being slightly larger than the ring section of the finger. Obviously, the ring size has to be large enough to allow the ring to slip easily over the knuckle. But then the ring often spins around and around on the finger once it gets past the knuckle.
The solution for most people is the addition of sizing beads, which are little round beads of gold or platinum added to the inside base of the ring shank. The beads are small enough that the ring can still slide over the knuckle with just a little resistance, but serve to catch the fleshy part of the finger between them, thus preventing the ring from rotating.
Brian Gavin Diamonds features a full-service jewelry fabrication and repair division on the premises. Thus we are happy to assist our clients with ring sizing and other repairs that may be required to maintain their Brian Gavin jewelry throughout the years. Please contact our customer service department for assistance.
