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Is It Better To Size A Ring Up Or Down?

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Whether it’s for an engagement or a wedding ceremony, if you are the soon-to-be husband or the future groom, choosing the right ring size for your beloved partner is most likely the most important thing on your to-do list.

Everyone wants to find the ideal size for the ring but if you can’t the best thing would be to size the ring up.

Sizing a ring up is the most logical and safest option. This is because it is much easier to resize a ring to a smaller size rather than to a bigger size.

wedding rings

There are many reasons why a ring needs to be resized. It is quite normal that the size of your finger changes over time. When you’re in a cold environment, your fingers shrink in relation to the surrounding temperature.

When the weather is hot, it promotes swelling on your skin and fingers.

Also, genetic factors can contribute to the fluctuation of your finger size like weight loss, changes in eating habit, and pregnancy.

In this article, we will explore some of the guidelines on how to find the right size for your ring.

Should A Ring Spin On Your Finger?

A ring that fits the size of your finger should be able to be spun both clockwise and counterclockwise whenever you want to. If you are having trouble trying to spin your ring, it simply means that the ring is too tight for you.

There are many dangers of wearing a tight ring. For instance, it could leave indent marks on your finger. When you try really hard to remove it, the friction could leave a scratch or hurt your skin.

Worst case scenario would be problems of blood circulation on that finger that could lead to a visit to the clinic just to remove the ring.

5 signs that a ring is too tight for you:

  • The ring hurts you: If you’re in pain right after you wear it, then there’s no reason to believe that the ring fits, no matter how beautiful it is.
  • You feel a slight tingle on your finger: When you wear the ring and you can feel on which finger it is, then the ring is probably too tight for you. In most cases, you’ll have a tingling finger, where it will feel cooler than the other fingers with slightly bluish skin or swelling due to restricted blood flow underneath the skin.
  • You have a hard time removing the ring: If the ring is too tight, most likely, you’ll have to use lotion, oil, or anything that will help the ring to slide and be taken off your finger.
  • You can’t spin the ring: As a general rule of thumb, you should be able to spin the ring in both a clockwise and a counterclockwise direction without hurting the skin around it. If you can’t, try icing your hand for about 10 minutes before trying again. If the skin beneath is still stuck, then it simply means that the ring is too tight.
  • You have a muffin top: A muffin top refers to the extra skin or a balloon of skin that bulges either above or below the ring. If you see any of these signs when wearing it, then the ring is not the right fit for you.
hand with beautiful ring

How Tight Should Your Ring Be?

As a general rule, a ring that perfectly fits your finger should slide over your knuckles with some friction. It also should fit snugly on your finger without any feeling of a tight grip on the skin underneath.

You should also be able to feel some resistance when trying to remove the ring backward over your knuckle.

The ring sizes in the United States are based on a specific numerical scale that indicates the millimeter circumference around the inside of the ring. This scale starts from a size 3 and goes up to a size 15 with half sizes in between.

For women, the average size would be around 6 to 6.5 while for men, the average size is around 9 to 10.

If your ring size falls between a round number and a half size, sizing it up would be a better option. Don’t resize the ring until you have tried it on.

Methods to Measure Ring Size

The Mandrel Method

A mandrel or ring mandrel is a cylindrical, cone-shaped tool that gradually increases in size. This tool is available in any jewelry store and used by most jewelers all around the world.

To use it, bring your ring over for a quick measure or try other rings in that store that fit your finger. Then, measure the ring with the mandrel to identify the size.

The best time to use this method is when you’re not intending on keeping the ring a surprise.

The Ribbon Method

If you want to give the ring a surprise, the ribbon method will work best. All you need to is find a string or a ribbon and wrap it around the finger of your girlfriend or your fiancee’s ring (the one she always wears).

Mark the point where one end of the ribbon meets the other, which reflects the circumference of the ring.

Put the marking ribbon on top of a ruler or measuring tape and take the measurement. Finally, you can use a free online conversion chart to find the exact size of the ring.

Does Resizing A Ring Weaken It?

The process of resizing a ring will take around one or two weeks, depending on the material and the ring design. The materials that can most easily be reshaped are gold, silver, and platinum.

When a ring is resized, the spot where it was cut and soldered will generally become weaker. Worst case scenario, if you apply too much pressure on the spot where the ring is soldered, it can break.

One of the ways to spot whether is the ring is weak after it has been resized is to look at the spot where the ring was joined. Proper soldering would leave no trace or indent and the surface is clean or smooth.

If you see any deep recesses or a nicked line where the ring was joined, you should ask the jeweler to strengthen the spot.

Depending on the material, like if your ring is made from platinum, the joint line will be slightly visible after the ring has been resized.

resizing ring

Types Of Rings That Can’t Be Resized

Choosing the correct and finalized measurement before resizing your ring is just the first step. You should always take into account whether the ring is made from material that can be bent, reshaped, and soldered.

These are some of the rings that can’t be resized:

  • Rings that are made from tungsten. Tungsten is a hard material that isn’t malleable enough to be reshaped without destroying its original form. Also, traditional rings made from unconventional materials like wood, resin, ceramic, and jade.
  • Rose gold rings aren’t suitable to undergo the resizing process. They are too soft and easily break when unnecessary pressure is being applied during the process.
  • Titanium rings can’t be resized with traditional resizing methods. Some jewelers might try to employ methods like stretching, adding additional material, or carving out but there is only so much that they can do with rings made from this material.
  • Some rings with gemstone can’t be resized. Although some would say they can, there is a high probability that the stones will experience permanent damage during the resizing process. This includes opal, pearl, diamond, and gemstone rings with channel set stones.
  • Rings that have been reshaped. The process of resizing and soldering will make the overall strength of the metal weaker than before. Also, you can’t up the size greater than 3 or 4. The greater the size you want, the harder it will be to resize it.

Final Thoughts

Resizing a ring is a subjective process that needs more than just a simple measurement.

You have to take into account the ring material, the strength of the metal, and the style of the ring.

The best option to resize a ring is within 1 to 2 sizes of the original size.

If you need it to be resized more than that, then you will most likely get a weaker ring that won’t last as long.

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