Most ring-size mistakes come from three things: measuring on a cold morning, forgetting the knuckle, and ignoring how wide the band is. Here is how to measure at home with a strip of paper, how to check it against a ring you already own, and how to choose between two sizes.
A ring that is half a size off feels wrong all day. Too tight and it leaves a dent and won't come off after a long flight. Too loose and it spins, so the face of the ring keeps ending up on the palm side of your hand. The good news is that you don't need a jeweller to get it right. You need ten minutes, a strip of paper and a ruler with millimetres on it.
Method 1: the paper strip
- Cut a strip of paper about 5 mm wide and 10 cm long. Paper works better than string, which stretches and is hard to hold flat.
- Wrap it around the base of the finger you want to wear the ring on, snug but not tight.
- Mark where the end overlaps, unroll it and measure the length in millimetres. That number is your finger's circumference.
- Now slide the loop of paper (or an imaginary ring of that size) over your knuckle. If it won't pass, your real size is the one that clears the knuckle, not the one that fits the base.
Do it twice, on two different days if you can. If the two numbers are more than a millimetre apart, take the larger one.
Method 2: measure a ring you already own
If you have a ring that fits the same finger well, this is the more reliable method. Lay it flat on a ruler and measure straight across the inside, from inner edge to inner edge, at the widest point. Don't include the metal. That is the inner diameter, and it maps directly onto a size.
Use a ring that fits the same finger on the same hand. Most people's dominant hand is slightly larger, sometimes by half a size.
US ring sizes 7 to 13
These are the standard US sizes our rings come in, with the inner diameter and the circumference for each.
| US size | Inner diameter | Circumference |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 17.3 mm | 54.4 mm |
| 8 | 18.2 mm | 57.0 mm |
| 9 | 18.9 mm | 59.5 mm |
| 10 | 19.8 mm | 62.1 mm |
| 11 | 20.7 mm | 64.6 mm |
| 12 | 21.5 mm | 67.2 mm |
| 13 | 22.3 mm | 69.7 mm |
Each full size is about 2.5 mm of circumference, or a little under a millimetre of diameter. That is not much, which is why careful measuring pays off.
When to measure, and when not to
Fingers change size through the day. They are smallest first thing in the morning and when you are cold, and largest in the evening, after exercise, in hot weather or after a salty meal. Measure in the late afternoon or evening, at a normal room temperature. A size taken after a winter walk will feel tight by July.
Wide rings fit smaller
This is the part most size charts leave out. A narrow band of 2 or 3 mm sits on a thin strip of skin and slides over the knuckle easily. A wide or tall ring covers more of the finger and grips more of it, so it feels tighter at the same size. Many jewellers suggest going up about half a size once a band gets wider than roughly 8 mm.
Statement rings are where this matters most. Our Six-Tusked Elephant God Ring is 32 mm across the face and weighs 32 g. The Dragon Ring stands 27 mm tall. On rings like these, a size that is merely snug in the morning can be uncomfortable by evening, and a ring that heavy is also more likely to rotate if it is loose. Measure carefully, and if you are between two sizes, the larger one is usually the right call.
Open bands and closed bands
An open band has a small gap at the back, under the finger. It gives you a little room to correct the fit by hand: squeeze it gently closed if it is loose, or ease it very slightly open if it is tight. Several of our rings are made this way, including the Garuda Garnet Pinky Ring, the Forest Spirit Deer Ring, the Roaring Bear Ring and the Six-Tusked Elephant God Ring.
Treat that gap as fine tuning, not as a way to skip measuring. Sterling silver will flex, but bending it back and forth works the metal harder every time, and a ring that has been forced open by two sizes will never sit as well as one that was the right size to begin with. Use your fingers, never pliers, and stop at a quarter of a size or so.
A closed band has no give at all. If you are ordering one, measuring well is the whole job.
A few finger-specific notes
- Little finger: usually three or four sizes smaller than your ring finger. We wrote a separate guide to pinky rings and how to size them.
- Index finger: usually one or two sizes larger than the ring finger.
- Thumb: the knuckle is everything here. Measure the knuckle and size to that.
- Large knuckles, slim base: size for the knuckle. An open band helps, because you can ease it over and then close it slightly behind the knuckle.
Things that don't work well
- Guessing from your shoe size, glove size or height. There is no reliable link.
- Using a ring that fits a different finger and adjusting in your head.
- Measuring with a tape measure from a sewing kit. It is too wide to sit flat on a finger and tends to read large.
If it still doesn't fit
Our rings come in whole US sizes. If yours arrives and the size isn't right, email us within 14 days of delivery and we will exchange it for another size. Trying it on is fine. You pay to send it back to us, and we send the new size out free. The details are in our Refund Policy.
All rings · Six-Tusked Elephant God Ring · Roaring Bear Ring · Garuda Garnet Pinky Ring
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