How a ring is sized

How your ring is sized

At ViridianGold.com, we offer you the option of having your silver, gold or platinum ring custom-sized to your requirements. The ring size is simply a number code which represents the circumference (or diameter) of the ring--our website uses the USA ring size nomenclature.

When rings are made, they are usually manufactured in only one or two sizes, usually approximately a 6 or 7 for women, and a 10 or 11 for men. These are typically not exact sizes, due to manufacturing tolerances. That is what we mean when we say "UNSIZED" in our ring drop-down menus--it is the raw size at which the ring was manufactured. Some rings, however, are offered in stock sizes that are exact, and we show those as "Stock". We do offer the option, for an extra charge, of having our jeweler re-size most of our rings--here is how that process works for a typical ring:

First, the ring's shank is cut through on the lower portion (where it fits underneath the finger). The photo above shows a side view of the lowere half of the shank. If the ring is being sized down, another cut is made to remove a portion of the shank so that the ring's circle can be closed, resulting in a smaller circumference.

After the cut, the ring is heated so that it can be shaped to the new circumference. For down-sizing, the ring's cut is welded together after the excess metal has been cut out. If the ring is being sized up, then a new piece of metal is formed to the proper length in a shape which matches the design of the cross-section of the ring's shank. This new metal is inserted into the gap, making the ring's circumference larger, and it is welded to the original shank on each end. Our skilled jewelers weld the ring so that the weld is invisible after the ring is cleaned and polished.

The above method will not work, however, for rings which have a pattern running around the entire circumference of the ring, such as one of our Cross Wedding Bands. In this case, the ring is usually manufactured in multiple sizes, so that you can purchase a ring which is already your size. Even in this case, such rings can still be up-sized without destroying the design. This is accomplished by heating the ring and then placing it in a precision machine which slowly stretches the ring to increase it's circumference. The ring is then polished and appears exactly as it did before, except it is now slightly larger. This method will also preserve engraving which may be on the inside of the ring.

There are also many types of rings that, once they are manufactured, cannot be sized in any manner. Rings made from Tungsten, Ceramic, Stainless Steel, and other types of metals cannot be cut or stretched due to the extreme hardness of the materials. This characteristic also means that those types of rings are extremely durable and resistant to wear and scratching.

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