I love my engagement ring, I think it’s gorgeous. But one complaint I have is that there’s this ring-twisty-action where the ring gets spun, especially when I’m in the shower. I wish that I could size the ring smaller and be done with it, but then it wouldn’t fit over my knuckle. I wondered if there was a solution so I went to Mervis where Scott got the engagement ring and wedding rings. There are several options that were presented to me:
- Add sizing balls to the ring – Little balls (resisting crude joke here) get added to the inside of the ring. I read on forums that folks with bony fingers will find it painful but those folks who have some flesh will find discomfort for only a couple of days. This solution doesn’t work for me anyways because of my chunky knuckles. Here’s a thread from PriceScope about it (also where I got the photo below):
Source: travl4me1
- Horseshoe sizer – A spring the shape of a horseshoe is added to the inside of the ring. This solution would be ideal for me since it would go over a big knuckle and stay put on a skinny finger. However, someone at Mervis looked at my ring and said there wasn’t enough space for me to add a horseshoe sizer. If the ring size was bigger, I would be able to:
Source: jazmine
- Tension bar – A ring guard or tension bar can be added to the inside:
Source: Sardis
- There’s also an arthritis shank where the ring opens up over the knuckle and then you snap it back into place. I wouldn’t go for this option because I think about how the ring could break. Here’s a thread that talks about the ring guard and arthritis shank (where I also got the pictures from ).
- Another option Mervis presented to me was the solder the engagement and wedding rings together. It would minimize the twisting but wouldn’t solve it.
- The last option is to decrease the size of the diamond to make it less top-heavy. But I don’t want to do that. :O)
It’s a lot of options, most of them shared by Mervis and some I read from forums. I’m leaning towards soldering but it’s so much commitment to do that (ironic, I know).
Have you experienced the same dilemma? What did you decide?
None of those sizing options look really comfortable. You didn’t list the option of getting plastic surgery to decrease your knuckle size LOL.
Some people think it’s prettier to have the diamond moving from one side of the finger to the other side, it’s more natural and safer at times. However some people think that when the diamond moves around the diamond looks cheaper and almost “borrowed,” just like when you wear someone’s suit.
My relatives have been in the jewelry business for a while and two of my uncles have won awards in many creative jewerly design competitions. One of my aunts designed the perfect little balls insert and they look very different from the blog picture. Even my aunts have rings with the little balls inside the back part of the ring and the way they designed it’s so perfect that you can’t even feel them and when the ring gets tight they just carve the little balls inside.
Next time you want to get your ring resized consider getting little round balls inside the ring to save money and keep the original shape.
@Marcela, thanks for sharing! I’ve only heard of options that are painful or temporarily painful. Do your uncles/aunts have a jewelry store or website?
Unlike many posts on the internet, this was fun to read and gave me some valuable input. I will have to put a backlink on my website. Regards. J
I went to Helzberg Diamonds and asked about a ring guard because my ring is a bit big too…
but he said don’t get the ring guard (The tension one) because it will scratch up the band and it hurts.
He suggested instead going to Claire’s where they sell this plastic tubing ring guard.. (in packs of 6 in various sizes for only $6!!)…
my only issue was it didn’t fit quite properly on my ring…
but thats what the jeweler I consulted said…
Try these ring band adjusters. I use them and they really work. Walter Drake has them –
http://www.wdrake.com/WalterDrake/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?CID=Apparel&SCID=Jewelry+%26+Accessories&ProductID=0000093517#ReviewHeader
and so does Miles Kimball –
http://www.mileskimball.com/MilesKimball/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?TID=_MilesKimball&CID=MKApparelandJewelry&SCID=MKJewelryHelpers&ProductID=0000093517&SourceCode=10509000001&mr:trackingCode=CB1275E3-DD81-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA#ReviewHeader
Then there is something called “Wes-Gem Plastic Ring Guards”. I’ve never used them but they look interesting.
http://www.esslinger.com/wes-gemringguardsrefills-3pc.aspx
Good Luck!