Wearing a ring that’s the wrong size can be unsafe and isn’t comfortable. Some metals and stones are more easily resized than others. If you already own, or are considering, a Moissanite ring, you may be wondering …
Can Moissanite rings be resized? Yes, Moissanite rings can typically be resized, however, there are certain ring designs that don’t lend themselves well to resizing (like rings with channel set stones). Any difficulty resizing these rings has to do with the ring design, and not the type of stone that is mounted to the ring.
While Moissanite rings typically can be resized, finding a jeweler to do the work on your Moissanite ring can sometimes be challenging. We’ll talk about why and how to get your resizing done below.
What is Ring Resizing and Why is it Done?
Jewelers resize rings by making them larger or smaller so they can more comfortably fit their owners. Resizing might need to be done for several different reasons:
- Your partner guessed your ring size— but guessed wrong.
- You’ve gained weight.
- You’ve lost weight.
- Your ring is a family heirloom from relatives with different sized fingers.
- You purchased a used ring, and it doesn’t fit quite right.
Rings can typically be resized within a reasonable margin of 1 to 1.5 sizes or so pretty easily. Making a ring smaller is less expensive than making it larger. That’s because reducing the size of a ring involves removing some of the metal in the ring, while increasing ring size requires the addition of gold, platinum, or some other metal to increase the circumference of the ring. That work is more difficult, and the extra metal comes at a cost, so increasing a ring’s size can become expensive—depending on the amount of increase and the metal type. You can typically only enlarge a ring by a maximum of 2 sizes when extra material is added as part of the process.
Another option is stretching the ring when the needed expansion is only half a size or less, but stretching leaves the ring thinner and weaker, so it’s not always the ideal solution, and won’t work with all ring styles.
When I proposed to my girlfriend (now my wife), many years ago, I wanted it to be a surprise. I took a BIG risk and went shopping for her ring alone! I could have gotten it wrong on so many levels, but as it turns out, she loved the ring and it fit her well. Buying a ring to surprise someone with is a gamble. You don’t want to insult them by buying a huge ring or make them feel awkward when the ring you bought won’t fit on their finger. There are LOTS of ways that you can try to figure out their ring size before you start shopping if you plan to surprise them. Above all else though, if you’re going to guess, it’s better to get a ring that’s too big than to get one that’s too small.
Because increasing the size of a ring costs more than decreasing the size of a ring, it’s better to err on the side of buying a ring that’s too large if your guess is off.
Which Types of Moissanite Rings Can’t Safely be Resized, and Why?
Moissanite is a typically a highly durable stone that it’s known to be fussy or difficult, however, not all types of Moissanite rings can be safely resized. In fact, these same ring styles can’t be safely resized regardless of the type of stone that is mounted to them. The inability to resize is linked to the ring style and its ability to safely retain the stones that it holds after resizing … not the nature of the stones themselves. The following rings are styles that jewelers typically won’t resize:
- tension set rings (or ‘tension rings’)
- Channel set stones
- Eternity bands (& half eternity bands)
Tension set rings, contain a gem (or stone) that’s held in place by tension. These rings essentially have a free-floating stone that’s pinched, and held in place, by the two sides of the ring that are applying opposing pressure to the stone that’s pinched between them. Resizing a tension ring could disrupt the tension and lead to a loose or lost stone.
Channel set stones are simply stones that are set in a channel that wraps around a portion of the ring. The stones are typically arranged to be side-by-side in a line. Because the stones are sitting down in a channel, only the top of each stone is visible. Channel set stones are held very securely by a channel that’s cut to very precise dimensions. Resizing can alter those dimensions, which could result in loose stones, so jewelers are often hesitant to adjust the size of these rings. The image below shows a couple of examples of channel-set stones.
Eternity Rings (or eternity bands) are often channel set, but the stones can also utilize prongs. Eternity bands are nearly impossible to resize. These rings feature stones that are side-by-side all the way around the outside of the ring. The ring on the left in the image that’s above is an Eternity Band. Resizing these rings is so difficult because stones can easily come loose, or the spacing between stones can become uneven if the ring size is adjusted.
Half Eternity Rings have diamonds that are aligned side-by-side around the surface of the ring (just like eternity rings), but on Half Eternity Bands, those diamonds only wrap halfway around the ring. It’s possible to resize these rings—but only to a very limited extent. Here again, the biggest risk with resizing this type of ring, is potential misalignment of the stones or uneven gaps after the resizing is completed.
Rings made of extremely hard metals—like Stainless steel, tungsten, or titanium. Those aren’t common metals for Moissanite to mounted to anyway, but I wanted to point out that because of their extreme hardness, they’re very difficult metals to work with for resizing.
Rose gold rings are often difficult to resize as well (especially when you need to make it larger). Rose gold can come in a wide variety of shades. Because of this jewelers often have trouble matching the color of the new material being added to the ring during the resizing process to the color of the original rose gold used for the ring. This type of gold is also much more delicate and subject to cracking.
Note: Stretching a ring to enlarge it will mess up any engraving that you have carved into the inside of your ring. It’s important to be aware of that. You can always pay a minimal fee (typically about $20) to have the engraving redone after the ring has been resized if you’d like.
Which types of Moissanite Rings Can Safely Be Resized?
Any Moissanite ring style, other than those referenced above, should be pretty straightforward and simple to resize (either up or down). Moissanite is generally very heat resistant. Some seasoned jewelers will tell you though that not all Moissanite is equally heat tolerant. When you buy low-quality Moissanite, it can more easily be damaged by heat applied during the resizing and repair process. One jeweler mentioned to me that much of the Moissanite that he sees people buy from direct sellers on crafting and auction sites is junk that he doesn’t feel safe working with. Because of a similar sentiment, many jewelers that you contact may tell you that they don’t resize or repair Moissanite rings. Don’t be surprised if that happens.
Moissanite from this manufacturer tends to have the best reputation for quality. If your jeweler knows that you purchased your ring from this source, they’ll likely be less concerned about heat tolerance. I found that if you enter the coupon code BRILLIANT100 at checkout, you’ll save an additional $100 off a purchase of $700+ right now. Here’s one other source for rings from the same manufacturer. By comparing prices between these two sources, you’re sure to find the very best value on a really high-quality Moissanite ring.
The other reason that some jewelers might refuse to resize or repair a ring that has Moissanite (or some other diamond simulant) on it, is that they’re worried a customer might accuse them of swapping stones and putting the simulant there. It’s helpful to understand their concern and where they’re coming from.
If you call a jeweler that tells you they don’t work on Moissanite, it’s nothing personal. They likely have one of the concerns listed above. You may be able to share information or find a solution to their concern if you have some understanding of the issues that concern them. Otherwise, you can just call another jeweler. Quality Moissanite is a ‘forever stone’ that’s highly durable and easy to work on.
The Typical Cost and Timeline
The exact cost that you’ll be quoted for resizing depends on your location and where the jewelry store is located that you contact, as well as the specifics of your ring (the style, the thickness of your band, the type of metal your ring is made of, whether you’re increasing or decreasing the size of the ring, how much you need to adjust the size, and more).
Having said that, we’ll give you a rough estimate that should be in the ballpark. Complication and cost of materials used is influenced by the type of metal that the jeweler is working with, so I’ll try to give you a cost estimate that’s specific to different types of metals.
- Sterling Silver = $25 to $50
- Yellow Gold = $50 to $100
- White Gold = $60 to $150 (this cost includes reapplication of a Rhodium plating that most white gold has).
- Platinum = $100 to $300 to increase the size (decreasing by one size would likely run $60 to $100).
The best place to have a ring resized may be the place where you purchased the ring. Some offer free, or heavily discounted resizing. You’ll also often have a period of time (typically 30 to 60 days) where you can return your ring for a refund or exchange if it isn’t fitting well from the start. That means, that you could guess on the ring size and then resize or simple exchange for a size that will fit better after your proposal if needed.
If you don’t have the time or money to get your ring resized at a certain point, there are other temporary solutions that could be helpful. For example, you can purchase these rubber ring size adjusters that simply twist around the bottom of your ring to make it fit more securely. They can make the fit of your ring up to 1.5 ring sizes smaller and cost less than $10! A metal version is also offered, but those can end up scratching your ring, so I’d recommend sticking with the rubber version (which works great)!
In Summary
Moissanite rings can typically be resized, except with the structure of a particular ring design won’t allow for safe resizing—regardless of the type of stone that’s mounted to the ring. Remember that buying high-quality Moissanite helps to ensure that your ring will be more heat resistant and durable through resizing and repairs than cheaper Moissanite can sometimes be. Again, if resizing isn’t practical at the moment, you might try adding some rubber size adjusters to your ring to help it fit morehttps://frugalrings.com/moissanite-for-an-engagement-ring/ snuggly until you can get the ring properly resized.
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