How to Make a Ring Smaller Without Resizing?

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com. Know more.

Before you make a ring smaller without resizing, you must determine first why your ring seems to be spinning more overtly on your finger nowadays.

There are many reasons why a finger would shrink temporarily, causing a ring to move in place. The most common reason is sensitivity to temperature, where a dip in the ambient temperature can cause fingers to shrink slightly.

Since rings don’t shrink as much as living tissue, temperature changes might be the culprit. Such changes are temporary, and if you shrink your ring because of it, you might find yourself with a ring that has too tight a fit later on. Another potential reason why a ring would not fit snugly after a few months is weight loss.

If you are losing weight, then your whole body is changing, including your fingers. Even the slightest changes on the hands can cause rings to become too big for their intended fingers. If you think this is the case then you may want to look into using a ring size adjuster, and how to make a ring smaller.

Table of Contents

How to Make a Ring Smaller?

Jeweler’s Resizers

There are several methods to make a ring smaller and more appropriate for your finger’s girth without resizing the ring physically, which would involve cutting the metal and soldering together the cut ends. Some resizers are just placed on the rings to reduce the available space, which then leads to snugger fit.

The first type of resizer is the sizing bead. Sizing beads are installed on the ring by the jeweler on the bottom portion of the ring. Sizing beads are simply small metal balls that help take up space on the ring.

This is an ideal solution if you want to cut down the ring size by half a size. Sizing beads are also pretty economical and do not reduce the aesthetic value of the ring. They also help maintain the position of the ring when worn on the finger. If you have a tough time keeping everything upright when wearing a ring, ask your jeweler about sizing beads.

The second type of resizer is the spring insert. Spring inserts work by introducing a simple spring mechanism into the ring.

A springy metal bar is installed into the ring. The springiness allows the ring to go past the finger’s joints, but it pushes back up immediately to maintain the snug fit. Unlike sizing beads, spring inserts can reduce a ring size by one whole unit easily. People who have had worn rings with spring inserts also say they are more comfortable to wear than sizing beads.

The third type of resizer is the fold-over device, or what some jewelers call the sizing bar. As the name implies, the sizing bar is a small metal bar that is installed on the bottom region of the ring to occupy space. What makes this resizer special is that you have some control over it.

The sizing bar has a hinge on one side and a lock on the opposite end. You lift one end of the sizing bar when you wear the ring and then you shut it close after. This reduces the available space and also tightens the gap at the base of the finger so the ring will not move around.

A Do-it-Yourself Solution

The three kinds of resizers that we mentioned earlier are by no means the only options you have to make your ringless loose. There is one recommended DIY solution that can work just as well if you don’t mind working on the ring yourself.

The simplest and most common DIY solution to waggling rings is the plastic guard. Plastic guards are plastic wedges that you slip between the skin and the ring itself to occupy space.

They’re pretty easy to use and they work immediately. The only downside is that they sometimes work too well and you can end up with a tiny bit of space on the top side of the ring. If you don’t like your ring to stand up awkwardly when you have your hand flat on the table, maybe try something else. Plastic guards can also slip off if they’re not sized properly.

Plastic ring guard (Shop now)

Should You Glue Things to Your Ring?

Of course, you have probably seen some people using stuff like cut silicone and tape to resize their rings.

We understand that these are usually DIY, on-the-fly solutions because people don’t have time to book an appointment with jewelers and have more permanent sizing solutions made. However, we warn people against gluing or adhering anything to rings.

The reason for this is that many rings are not pure metals; even gold rings are usually alloys. What this means is that even though the gold component of your ring may not react to other substances and materials, the non-gold component might, and this may result in staining and other problems.

You can probably use (temporarily, that is) temporary ring resizers but after a while, you may need to have the ring resized permanently.

Fortunately, while the opportunity still hasn’t presented itself, you can buy a pack of plastic guards or silicone guards and use these in the meantime. Just avoid adhering or gluing them, and don’t fret about disposing of the resizers when they are worn out. That’s why they come in packs of one dozen or more – temporary resizers are not designed to last as long as the rings.

If the ring really doesn’t fit and is always at risk of being lost, perhaps your best bet is to just keep the ring for now until you can approach a jeweler for a more permanent solution. You wouldn’t want your precious ring to slip off while you are working, or while you are just doing your daily routines.