Why Won’t Anyone Tell Me How Much It Costs to Size My Ring?

ByDitza Israeli

Have you been on the phone for hours, calling all your local jewelry stores, trying to get a quote on your ring sizing to no avail? Here are some clues why nobody will tell you over the phone how much it will cost you to have your ring sized.

Factors Affecting the Price of Ring Sizing

Ring Sizing Mandrel
  • Metal type (silver, gold, platinum, or palladium)
  • Metal purity
  • Sizing up or down (larger or smaller)
  • Number of sizes up or down
  • Width of ring shank
  • Stones (type and quantity)
  • Special engraving or patterns on ring shank

As you can see, there are several factors that go into determining the price of your ring sizing. Read on as we explain each one.

Metal Type
Jewelry can be made from many different types of material. Silver, gold, platinum, and palladium are the only ones we work on in our shop. In the case of white gold, whether 14k or 18k, the ring has a plating of rhodium that will always have to be redone after sizing, this makes sizing of white gold rings slightly more expensive than other metal types. If we are sizing the ring up (making it larger) the type of metal and current market prices will have an influence on the cost of the sizing. For this reason, making a platinum ring larger will cost significantly more than a silver ring.

Metal Purity
If we are sizing a ring up, adding 18k gold is more expensive than adding 14k gold. We always start quoting for ring sizing by checking what material and purity the ring is made of.

Sizing Up or Sizing Down
Is your ring too large? Is your ring too small? If we are sizing a ring up, or making it larger, we are going to be adding gold or platinum to your ring. Therefore, sizing a ring up is always more expensive than sizing down.

Number of Sizes Up
How many sizes up will determine how much gold or platinum needs to be added to your ring, and therefore, will influence the price.

Width of Ring Shank
The word “shank” refers to the bottom of the ring. This is the part of the ring where we add or subtract metal when sizing. The width of the shank will affect how much metal needs to be added, if we are sizing the ring up. Therefore, a wider ring will be more expensive to size up than a narrow ring.

Stones
Does your ring include stones? Not all stones can be exposed to heat. If your stone is heat sensitive, the jeweler may choose to perform your ring sizing with the laser solder machine, so that your stone does not get damaged. Using the laser solder machine for sizing a ring will cost more than torch soldering, but will ensure that your stone is protected. Not all jewelers have a laser solder machine, but at Atlanta Diamond Design we are lucky to have one on premises, so that we can perform extensive jewelry repairs on-site.

How many stones does your ring have? Once the shape of the ring has been changed, prongs can be loosened and must be tightened in order to guarantee your stones aren’t loose. Once the jeweler has sized the ring, each and every single stone on the ring will be hand-tightened. If your ring includes many stones, that will affect the price.

Special Patterns and Engraving
If your ring includes a special design on the shank, the pattern will be disrupted when the ring is cut for sizing. Depending on the complexity of the design, the price of your ring sizing will go up if the jeweler will either sculpt or engrave your ring in order to make it look seamless again. Even more complex is sizing a diamond eternity band. If diamonds must be added to the ring, the size and quality of those diamonds will be a major factor in the price of sizing.

Now you see why it’s so difficult to quote for ring sizing over the phone without seeing the ring in person. Once we see your ring, we will always feel more confident to give you an accurate quote to make your ring fit you perfectly.

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