Thinking of buying a vintage or antique ring and wondering if resizing will be a problem? The answer is yes and no. Most rings can be sized, up or down, as much as 2 sizes without a problem. However, with some rings the cost of resizing can be expensive or impossible.
Rings with organic gemstones can be difficult to resize. Gems such as amber, ivory, coral, and pearls fall into this category. The same goes for gem material made from shells like abalone, mother of pearl, or cameos. Organic gems do not tolerate heat well. When a ring is resized the shank is cut, and gold or silver is added or taken away. It must then be soldered back together using a torch and solder. If the heat travels to the front of the ring where the gems are set they can be ruined.
The resizing of a ring with a gold setting can be done quickly so that the heat does not travel too far away from the back of the shank. Resizing a ring that is made of silver is much more difficult. Silver or sterling silver is a great conductor of heat. Although heat sensitive gems can be isolated in a bath of water or a substances like “Cool Jewel”, if the setting is made of silver, the gem(s) might have to be unset and then reset during the sizing process. These factors increase the difficulty of changing the size of a ring and add to the cost.
Rings that should not be resized are rings with enamel work, or gold plated silver. Antique wedding bands with a continuous design will not be the same after resizing. Finally, rings with channel set gemstones should not be resized if the stones continue more than half way around the ring. I hope this information will help you make a wise purchase. Please see our unique selection of antique and vintage rings at Affordablevintagejewelry.com.
