Why It’s a Good Idea to Get Sized in Person, By a Professional
The other day I was bopping around online and, as usual, trying to ignore the incessant ads I am constantly subjected to by big online jewelry retailers (this is pretty much the exclusive advertising content I get because I am constantly Googling jewelry). Then, something jumped out at me: an at-home sizing tool, ostensibly created to allow people to order a ring online without ever entering a jewelry store. I immediately thought: oh, those poor people who think this will work.
Ring Resizing 101
Why am I so skeptical? Because I constantly meet clients who used at-home methods to order their rings and then need to come to our workshop to have their rings resized, often by multiple sizes, which is expensive and sometimes not a great idea depending on the ring. The rings almost always end up being way too big because the at-home tools are often uncomfortable to fit in your finger and don’t accurately reflect how an actual ring will feel, so people size up without realizing it. You’ll end up ordering a ring that doesn’t fit, and then you’ll need to scramble to find a jeweler who can resize the ring within a reasonable amount of time because this big-name store didn’t tell you that resizing through them takes six weeks and you might even need to pay for it. Not cool!
If this is how a jeweler tries to size your finger, don’t go back to that jeweler.
Also, a professional jeweler will be able to examine your ring and advise you on how that actual ring will feel: is it top heavy and prone to sliding around? Is the band really thin and might need to be more snug to keep it stable? All these factors need to be taken into consideration when sizing a ring, and can affect the final determination by as much as a half a size. While this might not sound like a lot, in ring language a half a size makes the difference of a ring staying on your finger or sliding off unintentionally while you’re grocery shopping.
Pro tip: if your ring slants like this, it’s too big! We see this done a lot in advertising photos and it can warp clients’ expectations of how the ring should look on their finger. The looseness visually “slims” the finger so so people find it flattering, but trust us: you will lose your ring if it fits like this!
Your ring should rest on top of your finger, generally centered. It should feel snug but not tight, and it should never feel loose. This can be an adjustment difference of .10mm, but it makes a real difference in fit.
An especially disappointing realization that some people will have is that their ring can’t take heat due to being set with fragile semi-precious stones such as opals. More likely than not, a ring like this will have a more complicated resizing if done properly because the stone will need to be removed and then reset in order to prevent the gem from cracking during the resizing process. This can get expensive, and if the ring is bezel set, it can get complicated. If you only spent a few hundred dollars on the ring in the first place, it might not be worth another $250 to resize it.
We designed and made this ring, and the client knows that it is tricky to resize. Opals are stunning and we love them, but they are fragile and should be sold and serviced with care.
We take care to size our clients in person and always make clear that each ring will fit and feel different, so a client should always be prepared to take advantage of our complementary adjustments after they pick up their ring. Your ring should fit correctly! Of course, if you completely switch your finger on us and need a much larger size as a result, we’ll talk through that adjustment more fully, but this is rarely the case. Buying a ring - especially an engagement ring - is an investment of emotion and finances, so take care when making your choices so that you can be sure you are set up for success when wearing your ring.