Guys buying Engagement Rings always want to know at the time of purchase, if it's better to get the Ring Sized Up or Sized Down to fit? For example: What harms a Default Size 6 Ring more? Sizing it Up to a 7 or 8? or Sizing it Down to a 4 or a 5?
Is one Sizing better than the other? This is the question of the day!
Let me tell you ring now, that Sizing a Ring Down is far better for the Ring!
Sizing a Ring Down is done by actually cutting away a section of the shank on the bottom of the Ring. Jewelers bend the opening closed, solder the gap back together, and smooth and polish the Ring so it's perfect again.
Sizing a Ring Down does very little damage to the Ring and you normally can never tell it's been sized. The band stays thick, durable, and the structure of the Ring is not compromised in the least.
While on the other hand, sizing a Ring Up is a little bit trickier. Sizing a Ring up so it's larger means cutting the shank, pulling or stretching the opening apart, adding in a new piece of Gold to fill the gap, then soldering it all back together again.
This expansion and pulling apart of the shank is the harmful part of the process. You're actually forcing the Ring to expand and bend in places that it shouldn't be bent at... Like the Channels for example! If your Ring has Channels of Diamonds running down the sides, then these Channels get bent, distorted and can actually crush and break your Diamonds if not done right. Jewelers always have to double check these Channel walls and make sure those Diamonds stay tight and snug in their setting.
Sizing a Ring Up puts extra stress on those heads, prongs, Gemstones and Diamonds. Plus Sizing a Ring up can sometimes make the shank thinner and that's because there are two solder joints to smooth out instead of one.
Granted, Sizing a Ring down can do the same thing, especially if it's taken down to a Size 2 or 3. Such extreme Sizings can put undue stress on your Ring and Diamonds. They can be damaged or broken. (P.S. You can always get your Rings Custom Made in the correct size also! This is better if the ring has Channels!)
So, the ultimate question is: Should guys get their new Engagement Ring Sized Up or Down before they present her the Ring? My Answer: Neither!
If you don't know the exact size, (And I mean EXACT!) then DON'T get it sized at all! Give her the Ring in the Default Size (Usually a size 6 or 6.5) and let her get it Sized to fit perfectly later. Don't guess! It's even worse on a Ring to get it sized and then resized again because you guessed wrong. Only if you know the exact size should you ever get it done before hand. Otherwise, you're just asking for trouble.
Give her the Default size, make sure she likes the Ring, and then, and only then, should you get it sized to fit. (Plus that's when you would get it engraved as well!) This is the smart way to do things, and it does the least amount of damage to your Ring and your pocketbook. Because usually the first sizing is FREE from most Jewelers (Usually!) and any additional sizings could get very costly. (Unless you have a Jewelry Service Plan) So keep it simple, keep it Default. Default is always the best size to get!
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