November Blog Challenge Day 13 - No, I don’t know my ring size!

OK, you’ve decided you’re going to buy your loved one a really special ring, or, you want to buy your wedding rings online........just one problem..........you don’t know your ring size!

So in theory, my number one piece of advice, when buying a ring, is to get your size properly measured with a proper jeweller. In reality, I realise that if the ring you’re buying needs to be a surprise, especially in the case of an engagement ring, getting the size without ruining the surprise might be a tad difficult. 

So if you don’t know it, here is my “alternative” advice......

If your (hopefully) fiancée/fiancé to be wears any other rings, you could measure the diameter of one of these. Try to pick a ring that’s worn on the same finger as the one you’d like the one you're buying to be worn on, even if it’s on the other hand. If you’re not sure, make sure you tell your jeweller so that they can advise on the best style that can be altered later on if it needs to be. An experienced jeweller will also be able to make a fairly well educated guess based on a photo of your loved one. 

If you're not 100% sure of the size, the design and materials will need a little thought. A ring with a large plain section at the back can be easily resized upor down, and also try not to go for anything very thin, so that if the sizing is only slightly out, there’s enough metal to allow it to be quickly stretched. If the ring has gemstones, then sapphires and diamonds are both pretty heat resistant. Moissanite is also ok, as long as the jeweller doing the resize is experienced in working with it. Stones to avoid, are the ones at the softer end of the scale as these will be more likely to discolour if the ring needs to be resoldered. These include opals, pearl and turquoise among many others. An experienced jeweller will be able to advise on the best option so its always worth asking. 

I’ve spent a bit of time making a ring measuring PDF that has a couple of different ways of measuring a ring size at home, as well some templates for testing out different widths and stone sizes. Its on sale in my Etsy shop for a very small amount, but being as you’ve been so kind as to read my blog, if you’d like a copy then please just ask in the comments and I’ll send you one for free.