As you age or gain and lose weight, your fingers can become bigger or smaller. As a result, your wedding band or another ring may not fit you perfectly anymore.
Rings should generally fit snugly around your finger. They should come off easily. If they are too tight, they might cause you pain; if they are too loose, you might lose them.
The good news is that most rings made from precious metals can be resized. The question I will answer today is: Can sterling silver be resized?
Join me and find out everything you need to know about resizing sterling silver rings!
Resizing Dos and Don’ts: Can Sterling Silver Be Resized?
Sterling silver jewelry can be resized if it is not gold plated. Plated jewelry would be ruined by the process of resizing.
Namely, all plated jewelry is made the same way. The base metal is dipped in gold or silver plating solution.
When resizing jewelry, jewelers often have to cut through it. It ruins the plating and causes it to start flaking off.
So, if you are wondering can sterling silver rings be resized, the answer is yes. As long as they are entirely made up of sterling silver rings can be both downsized or upsized. If they are silver-plated, you should best leave them be.
Sterling silver rings can be resized up to two sizes up or down. If you need to do more than that, you should exchange your ring for a bigger or a smaller one or try switching the finger you wear your ring on.
Resizing the ring for more than two sizes up or down would put too much stress on it and cause it to bend or break.
Where Can I Get A Sterling Silver Ring Resized?
You can get your sterling silver resized in a local jewelry shop or visit a specialist jeweler. If you are crafty, you can even do some minor alterations at home.
I generally turn to the local jewelers for minor changes (e.g. downsizing by ½ a size) and go to more specialized professionals when I require bigger changes such as going a size or two up.
Nowadays, you can resize the sterling silver ring without leaving your home. There are online jewelry websites where you can send your jewelry in and get it resized. The only downside to this phenomenal service is the cost of shipping.
With a little bit of know-how, you can successfully resize a sterling silver ring at your home, too. This goes for going up a ½ size only. You cannot downsize your rings at home.
You probably now ask: How can I resize a sterling silver ring at home? If I have guessed right, you’ll find your answer in the following section.
How To Resize A Sterling Silver Ring At Home?
A sterling silver ring can be resized at home if you want to go up by half a size, and you have a ring stretcher. The ring must not have any stones because they would probably fall out or become loose during or after the stretching process.
Silver is soft and malleable. Yet, you should never try to increase the size of your silver ring by more than ½ size on your own. Only professional jewelers can resize rings up and down for about two sizes without damaging them. Whatsmore, some complex designs are too challenging even for them.
In case you decide to try stretching your sterling silver ring at home, you should best get a ring stretcher. You can buy it from the store or find it online. It is not an expensive tool, so you should not break your wallet.
Ring stretchers usually come with detailed instructions on how to use them. Therefore, once you get yours, you’ll be all set up to resize your ring.
The process is fairly easy. You must lubricate the inside of the ring (you can use soap or dishwashing liquid) and then place it onto the graduated stretcher. Assuming that you know your ring size, all you need to do is gently tap the ring with a wooden mallet or jeweler’s hammer until it stretches and moves down to the desired size marking on the mandrel.
Do mind that DIY resizing can diminish the value of your ring significantly. If you are not careful, your silver ring can bend or break. So, think twice before you grab a mallet!
How Much Does It Cost To Resize Sterling Silver?
The cost of resizing your sterling silver ring can differ considerably depending on the complexity of its design and how much it needs to be resized.
Therefore, before you decide whether to resize your sterling silver ring, you should best ask around and find out how much it would cost you.
How much should you expect it to pay for resizing your sterling silver ring?
The good news is that sterling silver is not nearly as expensive as gold or other precious metals such as platinum. Hence, resizing a silver ring will cost less than resizing a gold or platinum ring.
Generally, the price of resizing a silver ring ranges from $20 to $40. Things that build up the cost are small details, complex designs, gemstones, and band thickness.
Upsizing is usually more expensive than downsizing since it often requires adding some material to make the ring bigger. The more complex the process is, the higher will be the amount of labor required to resize your ring, and thus the price will be higher as well.
So, even though sterling silver rings are the least expensive to resize, the price can sometimes be rather high nonetheless.
Final Words
The good news is: Resizing your sterling silver ring is not only possible but is also affordable. You can go to a local jeweler and have it done in 10-15 minutes. There is thus no reason to wear a tight ring or risk losing a loose one! Go and get that sorted out!
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