- By Heyami Al-Ghatta
How To: Resize your ring at home
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Whether your ring was the wrong size from the start, or the size of your fingers has changed, it may be necessary to resize your ring. Your best bet is to take the ring to a jeweller; they can resize your ring without lowering its value. However, it is possible to resize a ring yourself, but it will likely lose some of its value. That’s why it may be more logical to resize inexpensive rings yourself. You can use pliers to increase or decrease the ring size, though you can also stretch the ring or use silicone to make it smaller.
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Down Sizing
STEP 1
Clean the ring thoroughly. Soak the ring in a solution of hot water and dishwashing soap. Use a soft toothbrush to brush the metal and any stones set on the ring.
Dry the ring thoroughly before moving on.
Avoid using cleaners with bleach, acetone or chlorine, as these can damage a ring’s metal band.
STEP 2
Use a coffee stir stick or disposable chop stick to apply silicone sealant inside the ring. Make sure to use clear silicone, like food grade or aquarium grade silicone. You’ll want the bottom part of the ring to have the thickest application.
Unless the ring is very loose on your finger, you should only use a small amount of silicone.
STEP 3
Smooth the silicone with the coffee stir stick or disposable chop stick. As the silicone will be directly against your skin, you’ll want to try to smooth it out as much as possible.
Run the stick along the inside of the ring until the silicone smooths out.
You can use a wet paper towel to clean any silicone that gets on the outside of the ring.
STEP 4
Let the silicone cure. Depending on the type of silicone you use, this can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.
Resist the temptation to wear your ring during this time, as it will take longer for the silicone to cure and might dislodge it entirely.
If you need to remove the silicone, you simply need to scratch at it with your fingernail.
Excess silicone can be cut off carefully with a hobby blade or surgical scalpel blade, be careful to avoid direct contact with the ring a suit even the non cutting edge such as the flat side may scratch or damage the finish of your ring.
Up Sizing
STEP 1
Lubricate the ring with soap and slide it onto a ring mandrel. You can use bar soap or dishwashing soap.
Make sure the ring is evenly coated before sliding it on the mandrel.
A ring mandrel is a graduated metal cone, which is used to size rings. You can easily obtain them from general online retailers.
STEP 2
Gently tap the ring with a wooden mallet or jeweller’s hammer.
Your strikes should be gentle yet firm.
Strike at a downward angle; you’re essentially trying to move the ring further down the mandrel.
Make sure to turn the ring as you strike, to evenly stretch it.
If you have access to it, use a vice to secure the mandrel. This will make this step much easier.
If you only have access to a carpenter’s hammer, you should cover the ring with a soft cloth to prevent damage to the band. A rubber or jeweller’s mallet is a preferred choice.
STEP 3
Remove the ring from the mandrel and try it on. If it’s still too tight, you can repeat the process, placing the ring on the mandrel and hammering until it fits.
Keep in mind this method can only stretch a ring about half a size.
If the ring is struck, you can strike upwards with the mallet to dislodge it.
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