What to Do if Your Ring is Too Big - Brilliant Earth (2024)

You’ve been waiting for this moment (and this ring) for what feels like forever. You’ve been proposed to and the ring is beautiful. It’s exactly what you’ve always imagined, you can’t wait to spend the rest of your life with your person. There’s just one problem. Your ring is too big.

Hopefully, this doesn’t happen to you in the first place because you and your partner looked into ring sizing guides and got a ring that fits as perfectly as a glass slipper. But that doesn’t always happen, and that’s okay. An engagement ring that doesn’t fit is definitely not ideal, but it’s also not the end of the world! There are plenty of solutions, both temporary and permanent, that can get your ring fitting perfectly so you can show it off without worrying that it’s going to fall off.

How Do You Know if Your Ring is Too Big?

Everyone’s fingers, and jewelry preferences, are different. So you might think that even if your ring’s a little loose, it’s “not too bad.” However, if you ignore an incorrectly sized ring, you could easily lose it when you move your hands too quickly or have it fall down a drain while washing your hands. Which both would be devastating.

Your ring is probably too big if:

• It’s constantly spinning around the base of your finger and won’t stay upright.
• You’re concerned it’s going to fly off when you move too fast or flick your wrist.
• It slides off easily when washing your hands or in the shower.

When NOT to Resize Your Ring

Now that you know what to look for and when to resize your ring, there are a few scenarios when you shouldn’t resize (or at least you should hold off a little while before doing anything permanent.)

If you are in the process of weight fluctuations — whether it’s weight loss or pregnancy — now is not the best time to resize your ring. If your body is going to continue changing, you don’t want to get a ring that fits perfectly today but might not fit again in a few months.

If you are particularly susceptible to weather fluctuations, maybe wait for a little bit to see if the ring continues to be too big in different environments. For example, heat causes many people’s fingers to swell, so if you are proposed to in the winter and your ring is a little too big, it might be the perfect size in the summer when it’s hot.

Another thing to consider is the size of your knuckles. Maybe your ring spins a little at the base of your finger, but you really have to work to get it over your knuckle. Resizing that ring might make it fit the base of your finger, but you’ll never know because you won’t be able to get it over your knuckle and all the way on to find out.

Finally, you might not have a ring that can be resized. There are a lot of things that go into a jeweler being able to resize a ring. Metals such as tungsten, titanium, and stainless steel can’t be resized. And gem placement can also make resizing impossible, like with eternity rings that have gemstones around the whole band. The best way to find out if it’s possible to resize your ring is to talk to a professional. The best way to avoid needing to get your ring resized at all is to use our free ring sizer before your purchase.

If you’re in a situation where you want to wait a little longer to have your ring resized, or you have a style of ring that can’t be changed very much (or at all), don’t worry. You still have plenty of professional and at-home options to keep your ring comfortably and safely on your finger.

5 Ways to Fix a Ring That’s Too Big

1. Rubber Band Wrap

If you’re in a hurry and want to DIY something to keep your ring from slipping off, try a rubber band. It’s safe and won’t damage your ring. While you can use the typical tan rubber band that you probably have lying around in your junk drawer, the ideal choice for this fix is a small, transparent rubber band. Slide it around your finger (and possibly loop it a few times depending on the size) and then put the ring on over it. The rubber band adds some thickness to your finger to make up for the extra space.

2. Ring Guard/Sizing Bar

These are small adjusters, often made of plastic, that are easy and affordable to get for temporary ring adjustments. They come in different sizes and clip to the inside of your ring, so you can find one no matter the thickness of your band. They are small, and since they sit inside the band, you wouldn’t notice by looking at that your ring that there is anything in there.

3. Spring Inserts

Spring inserts are a resizing solution that a jeweler can install for you. It’s a small strip of metal, shaped like a horseshoe, that “springs” back as you put it on. This makes space for your knuckle to get through the ring, while also fitting snugly around the base of your finger. These are much less of an intrusive fix than resizing the whole ring, and can be a solution for bands made of metal that are too hard to resize fully.

4. Metal Sizing Beads

If you just need a small adjustment (typically up to ½ size) you could consider sizing beads. These are two small metal beads, soldered on to your band by a jeweler, that help your ring fit snugly. The benefit of beads, similar to spring inserts, is that they allow space for the ring to fit over your knuckle, and are also a solution if you don’t want to (or can’t) have your ring resized.

5. Professional Resizing by a Jeweler

Once you’re at a point where you know you need to permanently change the size of your ring (and you have a band that will allow for it), it’s time to consider professional resizing. Typically, a ring can be resized by up to two sizes. You’ll take it in to the jeweler, they’ll measure your finger and probably ask some questions (how the ring currently fits, what you find comfortable, etc.), and you can decide together on the perfect size. The best part? You’re going to a professional, which means when you get your ring back it will be sparkling and just like new (except this time it will fit perfectly).

At-Home DIY Resizing Hacks to Avoid

1. Hot Glue and Candle Wax

Even though you probably have hot glue and candle wax at your house and you’re ready for a DIY solution for your too-big ring, we caution against it. This is your wedding ring. The one you want to be wearing for the rest of your life. Not only is this solution messy, it could also ruin your ring.

2. Nail Polish

Clear nail polish is another common way that people DIY ring sizing, but not only will it chip and peel, it can also damage your ring. The metal might react badly to the polish (or the polish remover when you try to get it off) and tarnish your band.

FAQs

1. How much does it cost to get a ring professionally resized?

This is a question that can’t be answered without taking all of the different factors that go with your particular ring into account. It could be $20, and it could be hundreds. Some things to take into consideration are:

• The type of metal and how difficult it will be for the jeweler to work with.
• Gemstone placement (the more stones, the more likely they will have to be adjusted).
• Width of the band (thicker bands will cost more).

Ultimately, you’ll have to discuss with a professional jeweler the best options and cost for your particular band.

2. Does resizing a ring make it weak?

Technically speaking, yes. Every cut and solder point on a ring is a place where it’s a little bit weaker than it would be if it hadn’t been cut. And stretched metal is weaker than it originally was (though we would not suggest metal stretching as a way to resize rings). However, this is just to say that you should try to avoid having a ring resized too many times. When a skilled, professional jeweler works on your ring, they will know the techniques to help strengthen any weak spots and make your wedding band as durable as possible. They will help it withstand whatever you throw at it over the course of a lifetime.

Final Thoughts

Your engagement ring (and soon-to-be wedding band) are some of the most important pieces of jewelry you will ever own, if not the most important. So you definitely want to make sure that it fits correctly and you don’t have to worry about it falling off.

There are a lot of things that go into the decision of whether or not you need to resize your ring, and how you want to go about doing it. It’s possible that you may only want a temporary fix like a ring guard; you can wear it when it’s cold and your fingers are small, but you take it out when it gets warm (or you’ve eaten too much salt for dinner and your finger swell a little). If you decide to have your ring professionally resized, make sure you go to a jeweler that knows what they’re doing, so that your ring can come out looking brand new and fitting perfectly.

The ultimate goal would be to avoid this situation entirely and make sure that the ring is the correct size when it’s bought. If you’re looking for some tips on how to do that, check out our guide on how to find your partner’s ring size without them knowing.