Resizing rings is always a scary process for the most avid jewelry lover- after all, you’re taking one of your favorite pieces and modifying it. So what to do when your eternity ring doesn’t fit your finger properly any more? How can you even resize a ring that has stones all around it? Take a look at the process below.
What Is an Eternity Ring?
An eternity band is a popular ring design; stones are set all around the ring, leaving not a single blank space of metal. This creates a beautiful patterned effect, and the stones sparkle all around the finger.
On the other hand, the lack of blank space means that the ring is much more difficult and expensive to resize in comparison to a regular ring. Many jewelers are deterred by the complexity of an eternity ring resizing, which is why customers are often turned away with the impression that their ring cannot be resized. This isn’t true; it’s just a demanding procedure that requires a highly skilled jeweler.
The Process of Sizing an Eternity Ring
- Evaluation: As with all ring resizing work, the jeweler has to do a thorough evaluation of the piece before proceeding. Some rings cannot be resized due to various components in their design, and the jeweler will keep an eye out for the following factors that could affect work:
- Metal Type: Items made from standard precious metals such as sterling silver, gold, and platinum are always workable. However, rings made from stainless steel are very difficult to size, because of the extremely high heating point that is needed to cut into the metal. If your eternity band is made from stainless steel, it is not recommended to resize it because the metal is already notoriously difficult to manipulate.
- Stone Type: The process of ring resizing exposes the stones in your ring to heat. This exposure is inevitable for an eternity ring resizing, since the whole piece is covered with stones. Heat exposure becomes a problem when the eternity band contains stones such as opals and emeralds; gems that are soft will not be able to withstand the process. For an ideal eternity band resizing, the ring should only contain diamonds, sapphires, or rubies- these stones are very durable and can take the heat.
- Stone Setting Type: How the stone is set into the ring will affect the outcome of the eternity band resizing process. Channel-set stones (gems that are set in-between two strips of thin metal) will not look the same after the sizing process and may be difficult to work with during the process. On the other hand, prong or bezel-set eternity bands are much easier to size because the stones are easily reset if they fall out.
An eternity band with a channel setting.
- Sizing: After evaluation, the jeweler proceeds to the sizing process. To size a regular ring, the jeweler cuts into the shank, or the band of the ring, and adds or removes metal to size the ring. For an eternity band, this process is more complicated. Since there’s no blank space for the jeweler to cut into, stones will need to be removed from the ring to create an area for work.
- Sizing down: The jeweler takes stones out at one spot until the ring is approximately the correct size. Then he removes the excess metal, ensures that the ring is the correct shape, and closes the opening with solder. The loose stones are returned to the customer with the ring.
- Sizing up: Sizing an eternity band up is very complicated, because it’s difficult to retain the ring’s original look without adding new stones. In an optimal scenario, the eternity ring is prong-set throughout, with durable stones such as cubic zirconia or diamonds. The jeweler opens up one area of the ring by taking out a stone, and adds metal until the ring is the correct size. Then he creates new settings for the number of stones needed to cover the blank area of metal, and sets the new stones.
If the ring’s design cannot be replicated in terms of setting, the jeweler will not be able to add the new stones to the ring. In that situation, there will be a visible blank spot of metal at the area of resizing, which removes the full eternity band design.
- Finishing: Once the ring has been resized, it’s sent to polishing and cleaning. The jeweler buffs the surface of the jewelry with a polishing wheel and then submerges it in an ultrasonic cleaner. When the cleaning process is complete, the ring is tested to see if any stones are loose or missing before it’s returned to the client.
Alternatives to Sizing an Eternity Ring
If your ring happens to be stainless steel, or has a design that is difficult to work with, the jeweler can provide alternative options if you are sizing down. These alternatives include soldering balls or a heavy strip of sterling silver to the interior of the ring, allowing you to wear it without it slipping right off your finger.
Why You Should Get Your Eternity Band Sized
A ring that you can’t wear isn’t useful at all! It’s worth taking the ring to a jeweler who can resize eternity bands (like us!) and getting an evaluation to see if your ring is sizable. If it is, you should definitely get the sizing process done just so you can put that piece back on your hand.
If you really can’t get your ring resized because of the design, fear not! Experienced jewelers and manufacturers can recreate the ring for you in the correct size.
The Cost of Eternity Band Resizing
The price to size an eternity band is comparatively higher than an average ring resizing because of the additional labor. On average, a sterling silver eternity band sizing down one size is approximately $85. The following factors also affect price:
- The type of metal: If you’re sizing up, metal needs to be added to the ring. That’s a material cost that increases depending on how expensive the metal is.
- The number of sizes up or down: One to two sizes is a basic resizing- but if you’re going from a 9 to a 4, that’s going to be a lot of labor considering the amount of work needed to size the ring down 5 sizes. Also consider material cost; if you’re sizing up, you’ll need to account for the additional metal and any new stones that have to be set into the ring.
Now you’re ready to get started on your eternity ring resizing! If you’re interested in wearing your beloved ring again, reach out to us in the comments below and we’ll get back to you with an evaluation.
Community Discussion
Questions, experiences, and expert answers from the QJR community.
I have a platinum eternity ring I have worn for years. Unfortunately I have arthritis in my knuckle and it became extremely painful to try Nd remove and them replace the ring on my finger. I have had to get my engagement rings sized up and then a spring load added to it slides on easily and the pops down to my ribbon finger. I believe my finger size is about a 4-1/2 but my rings were made a size up and then the spring load added to bring it to my finger size. I purchased another wedding band with diamonds across the top but I really miss my eternity band and want to wear it again.i can always have the other band sized to wear on my other hand. I am just looking for an estimate (not holding you to it) to have the eternity band made larger so I can wear it. And how long does it take the process of having it resized up. Also would it be easier and cheaper just to have a white gold band made to size and them add my diamonds and whatever diamonds that need adding, I’m guessing maybe two?
Hi Julie,
We’ve responded to you via email 🙂
Great article. I have a channel set platinum eternity band with diamonds. They aren’t large diamonds, I think the total weight is .75.
Well after a little weight gain and knuckles that have some arthritis, my band won’t go over my knuckle any longer. Is there any hope for resizing up a size? If so, what do you think the cost is?
Hi JoAnn, we’ve emailed you 🙂
I have a prong set white gold diamond eternity band that I could not get last my arthritic knuckle. I took it to a local jeweler who cut out a diamond and replaced with a band of white gold. Now the ring is loose on my finger and a stone is loose. I would like to reverse what was done and still be able to wear the ring. I appreciate any suggestions.
Hi Sharon,
We’ve emailed you 🙂
My eternity band is gold but has cubic zirconia’s rather than diamonds. It fits with room to spare when its in place but its hard to get over my knuckle. I can get it on though. I wondered if it could be stretched just a tiny bit to make it easier to go over my knuckle.
Hi Marjorie, if it’s an eternity band we can’t stretch it as it will damage the settings and make the stones come out. We can size it so that there’s a small patch of blank metal at one area and give you enough room to get it over the knuckle. We’ve emailed you for pictures as we’ll need to see the ring.
My husband brought me an eternity band for our 5 wedding anniversary. It is in white gold with channel set diamonds. Total carat weight is between a carat and a half/a carat and 3 quarters. I can get the ring on but I have to wet my finger to slid it on over my large knuckle. It is a struggle to get off and I have to use liquid soap to do so. I can’t wear it like that and my hands have a tendency to swell at night. I would have to have to get it cut off if my fingers swell too much. He took it to his jeweler and he said he could not add a tiny piece of metal to the ring because of the prongs. What can I do other than buy a necklace and wearing it there. I know that will upset my husband. It is a beautiful ring and I would love to be able to wear it. Just can’t handle the what ifs.
Hi Jacci,
We’ve reached out to you via email 🙂
I have an eternity band that was given to me as a family heirloom. It would need to be sized down about three sizes (maybe four). Channel setting. Is this possible?
Hi Sarah,
We may be able to do that! We’ve emailed you for more details.
My grandmother recently passed and I inherited her eternity band. It’s about 1.5 sizes too small. I would like to get it bigger if possible!
Hi Anna, we’ve responded to you via email!
Hi, I have an eternity band I would like to resize to a bigger size. Please let me know how to obtain an evaluation. Thank you!
Hi Yusmila, we’ve reached out to you via email!
Need my eternity band sized smaller.
I have a white gold half eternity moissanite band and engagement ring set that are about a half size bigger. I would like to resize the rings down to my size. Is this possible?
Hi There, we can definitely help you resize a ring! Here’s a link to place an order, please fill out accordingly for each ring! https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/size-down/
I have a gold eternity band inset with diamonds half way. I’m looking to resize bigger
Hi Christine, you can use this link to place an order for this service. https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/ring-sizing/ring-sizing-up/
Hi, my husband has just bought me a full diamond band eternity ring and it’s too big, is there anyway you would be able to make it smaller? Even if it means losing diamonds and having a plain hand underneath?
Hi Julie, We would love to help you with this request. Depending on how many sizes you need to go down, we should be able to size this for you. Could you please provide a picture and tell me how many sizes you need to go?
HI. I want to purchase a vintage eternity ring with 20 small diamonds. The diamonds are only on one half of the ring. The ring as it is, is too small. Can I make it larger?
Hi Joanne, since it’s only a half eternity ring, we should be able to size it up for you. You can use this link to place an order for this service! https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/ring-sizing/ring-sizing-up/
Hi again. The ring is made of real gold
I have a ring that was my great grandmothers. I’m not sure what the metal is but I know it’s an eternity band. It fits right to my knuckle but won’t go further please help?
Hi Paige, we’ll reach out with further details!
Hi – I would like to find out if I could size up by adding a matching diamond (or how ever many required) a platinum prong set eternity band? It is about a 6.5 and it needs to go to a 7.5 or an 8. There are currently 18 stones.
We’ll reach out via email with further details!
Given the apparent difficulty in re-sizing an eternity band, would it be a better choice to simply remove the diamonds and have them reset into a newly made eternity band of the correct size? If so, can this be done by any jeweler?
Hi There, depending on the style of eternity band, it may be sizeable but not all jewelers have this capability.
Hello,
Please could you provide me with a quote for re sizing up my full eternity ring?
Many thanks
Hi Maxine, we’ll reach out via email on this service.
I have lost my wedding ring and husband died three years ago. Have eternity in gold with diamonds all round could this be resized by one or two sizes.
Hi There, we’ll reach out via email on our replication and sizing service!
I have a gold eternity ring in a channel setting that needs sizing down. Is it possible?
Absolutely possible! The specific work required will depend on the precise construction of the eternity channel setting. I’ve followed up via email with next steps 🙂
Showing 20 threads with 38 comments · page 1 of 2