Finding your future fiancé the perfect ring is a special, and once in a lifetime occasion. If only buying an engagement ring was easy. You need to find the right quality diamond, determine your fiancé’s taste, and get everything for a price that’s affordable. While keeping all this in mind, most people forget an often overlooked detail: the ring size.
It may not seem terribly crucial when buying an engagement ring, but ring size is actually an important factor. Most overlook it because it’s assumed that the ring can always be resized later. And of course, trying to determine the perfect size beforehand would ultimately ruin the surprise involved in proposing. The issue here is that not all rings can be resized. This is a little known fact that can be detrimental to the proposing experience.
For minor enlargements, the ring can sometimes be stretched. This is ideal, but isn’t always a possibility. Some rings require larger adjustments. If this is the case, the ring needs to be cut and either a piece is removed, or an additional piece is added on. Once either of these two processes is finished, the ring is welded back together, polished, and buffed to hide any evidence of an alteration. While it seems simple, there are two reasons it’s not always possible.
For one, depending on what kind of metal the ring is, the jeweler may not be able to add to it. Antique rings are particularly difficult as it’s not easy to determine what kind of metal it is. When metals are mismatched, they can cause a stained or spotted look to the ring when either the metal is different, or even when it is welded back together. The second reason why rings cannot be re-sized is due to the reshaping and buffing involved. Rings that have specific designs or other diamonds and jewels in the band can be affected during this process.
In an ideal world, you’d like to surprise your future-fiancé with the perfect fitting ring. While there may be opportunities to help fix minor size inconsistencies, don’t leave this important detail to chance. If you can’t find out the recipients ring size before you purchase the ring, be sure to ask your jeweler if it is possible to adjust the size at a later date.
