How to resize a platinum ring? It can be awkward to give or receive an engagement ring that doesn’t fit right. You and your partner may then have to interrupt the romance long enough to go through the resizing process. And what if you’re going the route of a platinum engagement ring?
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Some people say it’s nearly impossible to resize a platinum ring. Is this true? Well, we might define it more like “difficult.” Let’s explore this mystery.
What Is Platinum?
Sometimes you’ll hear about a “platinum” package that some hotel or other company offers—a top-of-the-line suite of services. That’s due to the fact that platinum is an expensive and sought-after metal.
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It’s a rare metal, and in addition, it doesn’t tarnish and doesn’t easily damage. All of these factors make it tough and very valuable. It is, in fact, more valuable than gold.
It goes well with many gemstones and is a fast-growing jewelry metal.
Why Is Platinum So Hard to Resize?
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One of the main components of re-sizing any metal is applying heat. This is how the jeweler first separates and then re-attaches the ring, whether resizing it up or down. A really important issue with platinum is that it takes a lot of heat to burn through and do the original detachment.
Not only is platinum porous, meaning that heat will creep through it, but heat also moves through it quickly. So a jeweler has to use a lot of heat on a material that conducts it quickly, and that can lead to damage. That is why only particular jewelers can take on the challenge of resizing platinum.
Resizing Platinum Rings
Here is the process for resizing platinum rings.
Stone Removal
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When resizing engagement rings of quite a few metals, jewelers don’t have to remove the stone. But the high heat for platinum ring resizing requires the removal of gemstones so they don’t get damaged. Therefore, removing the stone is the first step in re-sizing a platinum ring.
Sizing
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This is the stage at which the ring is either sized up or sized down. It is made either bigger or smaller. The jeweler cuts the “shank” or curved part of the ring and either closes it back up with part of it removed (sizing the platinum ring down) or adds a bit of metal to it to make it bigger. This is where heat is applied, both to open up the shank and to close it back up when the ring is either bigger or smaller.
Stone Setting
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Next, it’s time to put the stone back in. This is the one area where platinum is easier than other metals—because it’s so pliable, it’s not hard to put the stone back in.
Cleaning
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No good jeweler would leave the job unfinished without cleaning the metal and polishing it afterward. This contributes just a bit to the price of the resizing of your platinum ring.
Cost of Resizing
Resizing a platinum ring will run noticeably more than resizing some other materials, for all the reasons just explained. Well, you can expect to pay about $60-$70 per size if you are resizing down. If you are re-sizing up, you’ll have to double that amount. After various extra labor or unexpected costs come into play, in a worst-case scenario, your cost may be up over $200.
Platinum Ring Resizing FAQ
Q. How many times can a platinum ring be resized?
As you can see, the major theme of this article is the small difficulties in resizing a platinum ring. As you can see, the answer to “can you do it?” is “yes.” It’s just a bit difficult and a bit expensive, with a bit of a risk of damage.
In the event that you do incur damage to a platinum ring, that is probably the last time you’re going to try to resize it.
One thing to consider is that the place where the cut was made for resizing will remain a weak spot. The metal will be somewhat weakened by the process.
That is why you may run into a bit of trouble if you have to resize your platinum ring more than once. Another factor is how many sizes it was resized the first time. If it went more than a single size, it would’ve undergone a bit more wear and tear.
So, while there may not be an official number, you don’t want to get into a string of resizing for platinum, of all metals. Do your best to make sure a first one (if you need that in the first place) is the only re-sizing you’ll need.
Q. Does resizing a platinum ring devalue it?
The main issue here is whether or not one can tell the ring was altered. For all the reasons mentioned, a ring that has been cut into, particularly a platinum one, will suffer a small devaluation if one can tell. However, particularly with downsizing, it isn’t detectable.
There are a lot of things to take into consideration when thinking of a platinum ring resizing, but losing value doesn’t have to be one of them.
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