Ring size guide
Measure it properly with a strip of paper and a ruler
The figure we actually work from is the inner circumference of the ring in millimetres. Indian, US and UK sizes are all conversions of that one number, and the charts disagree with each other slightly — so if you can give us the millimetres, do, and skip the rest.
At home
Five steps, two minutes
Why we do not print a sizer
Printers scale pages by default, and a printed sizer that is four per cent out is worse than no sizer at all, because it gives a confident wrong answer that nobody thinks to check. The paper strip cannot be silently mis-scaled — the ruler is the ruler.
The paper strip method
Cut a strip of paper about six millimetres wide. Wider than that and it will not sit flat around the curve, which makes it read large.
Wrap it around the base of the finger the ring will go on, snug but not tight. It has to be able to pass back over the knuckle.
Mark where the strip overlaps itself, with a pen, while it is still on the finger.
Take it off, lay it flat against a ruler and read the distance from the end of the strip to your mark, in millimetres.
That number is your inner circumference. Give us that and you can ignore every conversion chart on the internet, including the one below.
Send us the millimetre figure on WhatsApp and we will tell you the size in whichever system you want it in.
Conversions
Indian, US and UK sizes side by side
| Indian | Inner circumference | Inner diameter | US | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 46.5 mm | 14.8 mm | 3¾ | G½ |
| 7 | 47.5 mm | 15.1 mm | 4 | H |
| 8 | 48.4 mm | 15.4 mm | 4½ | I |
| 9 | 49.3 mm | 15.7 mm | 5 | J½ |
| 10 | 50.3 mm | 16.0 mm | 5¼ | K |
| 11 | 51.5 mm | 16.4 mm | 5¾ | L |
| 12 | 52.5 mm | 16.7 mm | 6 | L½ |
| 13 | 53.8 mm | 17.1 mm | 6½ | M½ |
| 14 | 54.7 mm | 17.4 mm | 7 | N½ |
| 15 | 55.7 mm | 17.7 mm | 7¼ | O |
| 16 | 56.9 mm | 18.1 mm | 7¾ | P |
| 17 | 58.1 mm | 18.5 mm | 8¼ | P½ |
| 18 | 59.1 mm | 18.8 mm | 8½ | Q½ |
| 19 | 60.3 mm | 19.2 mm | 9 | R½ |
| 20 | 61.4 mm | 19.5 mm | 9½ | S½ |
| 21 | 62.3 mm | 19.8 mm | 10 | T½ |
| 22 | 63.5 mm | 20.2 mm | 10¼ | U |
| 23 | 64.6 mm | 20.6 mm | 10¾ | V |
| 24 | 65.6 mm | 20.9 mm | 11¼ | W |
| 25 | 66.6 mm | 21.2 mm | 11½ | W½ |
| 26 | 67.9 mm | 21.6 mm | 12 | X½ |
Fit
Five things that change the answer
Wide bands fit tighter
A band sits against more of the finger the wider it gets, so a four millimetre band feels tighter than a two millimetre band of the same nominal size. Anything over about four millimetres usually wants a quarter to half size more. We allow for it automatically when we know the width, which we will.
Measure at the end of the day
Fingers are at their smallest first thing in the morning and in the cold, and at their largest in heat and after salty food. Measure late in the day, at room temperature, and measure three times on three different days. Take the largest reading.
Size to the knuckle, not the base
If your knuckle is noticeably wider than the base of your finger, the ring must be sized to clear the knuckle — otherwise it simply will not go on. It is then fitted with sizing beads or a small internal bar so it does not spin. Tell us at the order stage; it is far easier to build in than to add later.
Do not use string or thread
String stretches, so it reads small. Thin thread cuts into the skin, so it reads smaller still. Paper does neither, which is the whole reason for the method above.
Right and left hands differ
Usually by around half a size, and for most people the dominant hand is the larger one. Measure the finger the ring is actually for.
A ring should take a little effort to get over the knuckle and then sit without pinching. If it slides on with no resistance at all it will come off in cold water, which is how most rings are lost. Read the resizing section of the care guide for which designs can be adjusted later and which cannot.
For a proposal
Getting her size without asking for it
Borrow a ring she already wears
On the correct finger — a ring worn on the other hand is very often a different size. Bring it in and we will measure it in a minute, or lay it on a ruler yourself and measure straight across the inside at its widest point.
Press it into soap
If you can only borrow it for an hour, press the ring flat into a bar of soap or a piece of soft modelling clay to leave a clean impression, and bring us that. It is more accurate than it sounds.
Photograph it against a ruler
Straight down from above, as close as your phone will focus, with the ring flat on the ruler. Send it to us on WhatsApp. Not as good as the ring itself, but good enough to start.
Ask somebody who would know
Her sister, her mother, her closest friend. They usually know, and if they do not they can find out without it being strange in a way that you cannot.
Look inside a ring she owns
There may be a size stamped on the inside of the shank, along with the metal mark. It is worth two seconds of looking.
One thing that does not work
Measuring a sleeping partner’s finger with a piece of string. A relaxed hand lying flat measures differently from a hand in use, string stretches, and you are quite likely to wake her. It is in every list of tips and it is a bad idea in all of them.
And if you have nothing at all
Tell us it is a proposal and order approximately. We will build the ring so that it can be resized easily — which rules out a full eternity band as the surprise, and is worth knowing before you choose one. The first resize is free within the first year, so a size that turns out wrong is an inconvenience rather than a disaster.
Not sure
Send us the number and we will do the rest
Every piece is made to your size rather than cut down from a standard one, so getting this right at the order stage saves a resize later.