Think before you buy

Customers come in to resize costume jewelry. Sometimes they inherited the ring. Other times, it's a gift from great aunt Martha. But if you're going out to buy such baubles, please keep a few things in mind (I'm focusing on rings here).

1. If you buy one of these silver rings they often have a thick coat of rhodium. Seriously thick. Some factory is cranking out this stuff. So once the ring is resized there may be noticeable marks where it was resized because the rhodium has been removed during the sizing process. Though many jewelry repair shops have rhodium, the small set up is not the same as the factories that get really thick coatings on pieces. 

2. If you're going up or down very many sizes, there may be trouble. Even two sizes could mean a lot of stress on the structure of the ring.

3. Occasionally these rings are hollow. It's pretty much a guessing game for me and I won't know until I've cut into that ring. Stresssssful.

4. If there is a pattern engraved around the entire band there will be a mark where it has been sized. Think about it, cutting the ring to add material (sizing up) means there is a slice of metal added to increase the size. That added piece is not going to have the engraving. If you size down, then the jeweler has to cut away some of the ring and the pattern will not line up the same because a piece has literally been cut out. Then, in the finishing process after resizing, the jeweler has to "clean up" the metal where the repair took place. If the engraving isn't very deep, then the engraving may be polished away in some areas.

5. If there are gems around the entire band, it can't be resized without removing stones (sizing down) or there will be a section of metal from sizing up.

Some of these issues may not be a big deal to you, but I've seen a few people who bought these types of rings for $250 or more thinking they'll have it resized. They are very upset when we tell them it can't be resized, or they're disappointed that in order to resize there will be a mark left on the ring or some other issue.

If this sort of jewelry is your thing, pause and consider whether or not it fits. It may not be possible or inexpensive to just take it to a jeweler for resizing.

For more posts about choosing jewelry:
Alternative Wedding Bands