How do jewelers actually resize a ring? And how much does this service usually cost?

The answer depends a lot on the type of ring, how big a change in size is needed, and what type of metal the ring is made out of.

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If you happen to have bought your ring online, then you could probably have it resized for a symbolic cost. I bought my engagement ring on Zoara.com and when I got it I realized the ring was too big. They agreed to graciously have it resized for a very reasonable plus the cost of having the ring reshipped.

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for a plain wedding band plus a diamond engagement ring going up a 3/4 size I paid $50-00 at a jeweller.

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Not that resizing your ring is the end of the world - on the contrary - it's a very simple and inexpensive process. That said, in order to avoid having to have your ring resized, you need to get it right the first time. This shouldn't be a too complicated task if you purchase the ring in a brick and mortar store. However, if you purchase the ring online (and you should!), getting the right ring size is a bit more challenging. For this many websites provide various tools and tips for measuring and determining your ring size. Zoara.com for example, provides an free ringsizer PDF that you can download here: http://www.zoara.com/engagement/ring_size. and then print at home. It will them give you the option to either measure the ring size by using an existing ring that you may already have or by putting a flexible paper ruler around your finger.
You can also ask them to send you a free complementary plastic very cool ringsizer by filing out the form in their contact page: http://www.zoara.com/about/contact

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In case of enlarging rings, there is another alternative method that should always be considered by the jeweler. If it's a plain band, then it is often possible to expand the diameter of the ring by mechanically stretching it! There are many tools designed for this job and it is the easier and safer method of expanding a ring. Although it's not heard of very often, there are so many tools designed for mechanical stretching that it is simply an indication of how popular this method is amongst jewelry workshops. Obviously, there is a limit of how much a ring could be stretched, at the risk of the band being snapped due to excessive tension. So although this is a very effective method, it can't always be used, but it can most definitely always be considered before thinking of more radical techniques to expand your ring.

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If you have a platinum ring, like mine, and you wish to expand your ring, this is probably the most expensive charge for ring resizing. They had to add in a little extra platinum to maintain the ring's original design so I needed to pay an overall sum of $45.50 USD for it.  If you’re talking about a gold ring, on the other hand, I know that gold rings are easier to expand since gold is more malleable than platinum. Therefore, a yellow or white gold ring would be cheaper to resize.

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Regarding the costs, well it varies from jeweler to jeweler and depends on whether you want to reduce the ring's size or expand it, with the latter option being usually the more expensive of the two. I strongly recommend that you take your ring into the same jewelry store where you bought it from – usually when they see you were their customer they won't even charge a thing. So, it's worth giving it a try!

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Well, basically the resizing of a ring is actually done with the help of heat. When the metal of the ring is heated, it becomes malleable and thus easier to reshape. So, if a jeweler is asked to reshape the ring to fit a bigger sized finger, he would stretch the heated metal into a bigger diameter. Note that this may cause the ring to be much more fragile because there is actually less metal surrounding your finger than originally designed, so often jewelers would add more metal in order to retain the original width proportions of the piece. This service is of course entailed with some extra payment on account of the extra metal being used. On the other hand, if a jeweler is asked to reshape a certain ring so that it could fit a smaller sized finger, he would probably cut off a bit of the unnecessary metal and then smoothly weld the ring together. But don't worry; you won't actually be able to see where the jeweler made his cut, because it will look as one smooth piece. I had loads of rings resized for me at my local jewelry store, and they most I ever had to pay for reshaping my ring was $25 USD. It's so cheap that it's really worth resizing your ring if it's not the perfect fit on your finger. However, there is no one answer to how much it’ll cost to resize any given ring as certain types of metals are less malleable than others and are therefore pricier to adjust and resize. You can learn more about your ring’s precious metal band and whether it is malleable or not be checking out online ring guides like the one in Zoara.com

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Sometimes jewelers need to resize a ring that contains small diamonds or gemstones all around the band and this could get a bit trickier. Before actually resizing the ring, the jeweler would have to remove all the gemstones so he won't cause them any damage. For rings being made smaller, the jeweler must first cut out a small part of the ring. The jeweler will then have to solder the ring back together to create a round circumference. Before he places the stones back in place, the jeweler polishes and smoothes out the ring so that the resizing would look unnoticeable. You should note that because the ring has been made smaller, the jeweler might decide to place the gemstones differently than they were originally placed in order to balance the overall setting of the ring. But this is so professionally done, you won't even notice the design of your ring looks different! Now, about prices: if you go to the same jewelry store where you purchased your ring from, with your service contract usually that includes resizing, so it should be a free service. Nonetheless, if for some reason you cannot go to the original store, it's still nothing to worry about. Any jewelry store will provide this service for a cost of $20 USD to $40 USD, depending on the complexity of the ring resizing.

If you’re looking for more information on resizing your ring, I would recommend either asking a local jewelers or contacting online jewelry websites who specialize in high-end jewelry and who offer ring resizing services.

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