Can you have it by Saturday?
A customer hands over an engagement ring that is too loose and asks to go down two sizes. Another wants a wedding band up three. A third has a full eternity ring and wants it bigger, which the jeweller will say cannot be done in the usual way at all.
The counter measures each finger with the sizing sticks, writes the current and new size on the envelope, and quotes from a card on the wall. Then comes the question: when can I have it? The counter says Saturday, because that is what they usually say.
By Thursday the bench has sixteen sizings, two of which were quoted far too low because the stones need tightening afterwards, and one that should never have been accepted without the jeweller seeing it.
Why sizing quotes and dates drift
A sizing is not one job. Taking a plain band down a size is quick. Taking up a heavy platinum ring several sizes, or sizing a ring with stones set around the shank, is a different amount of work and risk. The price card on the wall treats them the same, or relies on the assistant knowing the difference.
Promised dates ignore the bench's workload. The counter has no view of how many jobs are already waiting, so every customer gets the same answer whether the bench is quiet or full.
Some rings need a check before a price can be given: an eternity ring, a tension setting, a ring with engraving inside that will be distorted, a hollow shank. When that check is not built into the intake, the problem is found at the bench.
The cost of guessed sizing quotes
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Flat pricing for different work | Complex sizings done for less than they take |
| Dates promised without capacity | Missed promises and rushed bench work |
| Rings accepted without a check | Jobs the bench cannot do as sold |
| Current size not recorded properly | Disputes about the size requested |
| No re-check step | Customers returning because the fit is not right |
Sizings are a steady, everyday part of the workload and a common way new customers first try your shop. Getting them consistently right builds trust.
Engagement season makes sizing more sensitive. A newly engaged customer brings in a ring that was bought without knowing the size, and wants it fitted in time for a party or a family visit. It is a moment when a missed date or a ring that comes back still loose feels much worse than an ordinary repair, and it is often the first time that customer has used your shop for anything.
The sizing intake we build
- The counter picks the ring type (plain band, solitaire, shoulders set, full eternity and so on), the metal, the current size and the new size.
- Pricing comes from your own rules: a base price by metal, adjustments per size moved and extras for stones, heavy shanks or re-rhodium plating.
- Certain combinations are flagged 'jeweller to check first', and the counter takes the ring in without a firm quote or date, telling the customer when they will hear.
- The promised date is suggested from the bench's current queue and each job type's usual time, so a busy week produces a later date automatically.
- The customer signs off the new size on screen, and it is printed on the job label with the sizing note.
- When the ring is ready, the customer is invited to try it on at collection, and any size adjustment is logged against the same job.
The rules and times are yours. We set them up with your jeweller, because they know which sizings are simple and which are not.
A calmer sizing week
Quotes are consistent between staff and reflect the work. Rings that need a proper look get one before anything is promised. Dates reflect how busy the bench is. The jeweller is not surprised by what arrives in the tray.
- Prices that reflect the real work of each resize
- Dates based on the bench's current queue
- Difficult rings checked before they are accepted
- Size requests signed and recorded clearly
Is ring sizing like this in your shop?
- Sizing is priced from a card that treats most rings the same.
- The counter promises dates without checking the bench.
- Rings that cannot be sized normally are found at the bench.
- Sizes requested are written on envelopes only.
- Customers sometimes return because the new size is wrong.