Proper Ring Sizing for a Custom Ring is Easy and Very Important

Choosing the right size and comfort fit for your custom wedding ring is as important as choosing what style of ring you want. Getting your custom ring sized, whether it’s a plain titanium band, a wooden wedding band or a 14K gold ring set with diamonds, you will have to ensure you order the correct ring size for a stress free wedding day and beyond. Here are very important factors to consider when getting your ring finger sized. This video will show why it is so important to get more than one opinion for an accurate ring size.

Get Sized at Two (2) Jewelers

I recommend getting sized until at least two reputable jewelers agree on the same size in comfort fit vs non-comfort fit. Each manufacturer makes sizers using their own internal standards. If you have an existing ring in the same width and fit you are planning to buy, I highly recommend asking the jeweler to use a caliper or micrometer to measure the ring, because it’s more accurate than a ring wand. CLICK HERE FOR THE SIZING CHART

Custom Ring Sizers Always Work Best

At Jewelry by Johan, we can offer you Custom Ring Sizers that are made in the exact width of the ring that you want to order. These also come with the option of a comfort or standard fit. You can actually feel and see how the ring works for you. I also recommend that you don’t use an online ring sizer or paper strip. From my experience, this is an inaccurate method. Take the time to go to a few local jewelers, it will be well worth it in the end when you have a ring that fits you perfectly.

Determine Your Ring Width

Something to consider when getting your ring size taken is the width of the ring you want to order. You'll want to be sized in the particular width that you are ordering because wider rings fit more snug than dainty rings. Most plastic ring sizers have a total width of 3.5mm. If, for example, you purchase a ring with a total width of 8mm, your ring size will probably increase by a quarter size.

Comfort Fit or Standard Fit?

Most of our rings are made with a comfort fit. Comfort fit rings are made with a slight curve on the interior of the ring, as opposed to a flat interior on the inside of a standard fit ring (shown in the video above). A comfort fit ring goes over the knuckle easier and fits better at the base of your finger. This type of fit also offers more breathe-ability. Because of the slightly rounded interior, a comfort fit band will fit slightly larger than the same size in a standard fit. This is because the size is taken from the peak of the rounded interior (the size read from the middle of the band on a mandrel) and not from one side to the other (read on the mandrel from the bottom of the ring). This is how confusion arises when getting your ring size measured at many jewelers. Make sure your jeweler knows that you want a ring with a comfort fit. Overall, comfort fit is more comfortable, especially for someone that is not used to wearing a ring every day.

How should your ring fit?

When it comes rings, there is no such thing as a perfect fit. For many, a good fit means that their ring is comfortable most of the time. There are days when rings are too tight, and days when they’re a little loose. Your finger fluctuates in size during the day due to temperature, diet, activities etc. Please note that the time of year can also contribute to the ring feeling: tighter in the warmer months and looser in the winter months. In the winter, try to keep your hands warm while sizing to ensure it will fit in the summer. If your hands stay cold while sizing then your ring might be tighter in the summer. Finger shape also plays a large role in determining the right fit of a ring. Some fingers are largest at the base and gradually taper without a prominent knuckle. On this type of finger, the ring should fit snugly at the base of the finger without causing bulges or a permanent indent.

You should be able to push the ring up from the underneath side of your finger, and see a small space between the ring and the top of the finger, this gives your finger some breathing room. Sizing fingers that are largest at the knuckle can be a bit trickier. The key here is to size the ring so it fits comfortably over the knuckle without being too large for the base of the finger. If there is a large size difference between the knuckle and base of the finger, the ring tends to spin and turn on the hand– especially in engagement rings which tend to be top heavy. A simple fix for this is to add sizing beads to the inside of the ring. They prevent some of the spinning while still maintaining a comfortable fit over the knuckle.

Proper sizing is more of a personal preference than a perfect science. Different activities throughout the day and temperature variations cause the size of our hands and fingers to constantly change, so it’s normal to have a ring feel tight sometimes and loose other times– often in the same day.

So how do you know when you have a good fit? A good rule of thumb is that when a ring fits easily over your knuckle, you should be able to get it on without struggle and then have a slight pull at the knuckle when removing it. You may need to twist the ring 1-2 times to get it off.

Note: Rings are not re-sizable. Nearly all of our rings have a comfort fit unless noted in the product description. 

Tagged: Sizing