Ring Sizing Question...

Hi,

I'm hoping someone here knows enough to help me out on this.

I have found a very nice ring and want to purchase it for myself I
got sized once at a jewelry store and was a 9.5 (but it seemed loose
at the store) with a ring sizer for 6mm+ rings, then got sized again
with a sizer for 0-5mm rings and was an 8.75. Jewelry stores
recommend adding "anywhere from .5 size to 1.0 size" when being sized
with a 6mm sizer.

Since the ring is titanium and can be resized .25 up (not down) ONLY
before it has to be remade, clearly we want to get this right on the
first try.

Do you know which it is: .5+ or 1.0+?

Thanks!

On Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:13:23 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry mlescarlet
wrote:

Hi,

I'm hoping someone here knows enough to help me out on this.

I have found a very nice ring and want to purchase it for myself I
got sized once at a jewelry store and was a 9.5 (but it seemed loose
at the store) with a ring sizer for 6mm+ rings, then got sized again
with a sizer for 0-5mm rings and was an 8.75. Jewelry stores
recommend adding "anywhere from .5 size to 1.0 size" when being sized
with a 6mm sizer.

Since the ring is titanium and can be resized .25 up (not down) ONLY
before it has to be remade, clearly we want to get this right on the
first try.

Do you know which it is: .5+ or 1.0+?

Thanks!

Neither one is a hard and fast reliable rule. As one of those goldsmiths
behind the scenes who has to take the ring measurments various salespeople at
various stores send in, and try to make sense of them, it never fails to amaze
me how many jewelry store sales people don't actually understand ring sizing
very well...

The reason there are in general two variations of sizing rings one can use is
simply because narrow rings feel a bit looser on the finger than do wider rings.
But the amount of difference between the two types is not consistent from person
to person. And even within rings of the same width, there can be some
variation in how tight a ring feels, depending on the degree of taper, whether
and by how much the inside of the ring is relieved at the edges (called "comfort
fit, when the inside surface is almost fully curved, so the edges are looser.
than the center). As to your basic question of the difference between the two
types, I'd be very surprised if anyone had a full size difference based on the
difference in width. Maybe a half size. But some people will find a quarter
size difference is enough, and some few will prefer the same size with either
width of sizer.

The only way to get really accurate ring sizing is to try on samples of the
actual ring. This is usually not possible, of course, so the next best thing is
to use the width of sizer that most closely matches the width of the ring you're
getting. And it's important to get the size right. You say one of the sizers
supposedly your size felt loose? Well, that doesn't sound right, does it. It
needs to fit correctly, or the number on the sizer is meaningless. A correct
fit however, is not totally determined by how the ring feels when fully on. It's
determined by how easily you get it on and off. That means the fit over the
knuckle. It should be a little snug going over the knuckle, so it won't fall
off, but you shouldn't be uncomfortable putting it on or taking it off. Once on,
it shouldn't spin all over the place or otherwise be totally loose. If the size
that does fit properly to get on and off is then too loose for comfortable wear
when on, then you need to consider options like a non-round ring shank shape, or
one of several types of springs one can install into a shank to take up the
slack, or an adjustable shank that can tighten up once over the large knuckle.
Most people don't need the actually adjustable shanks. A squared shank shape
can allow a ring, even if a bit loose when on, to still ride well on the finger.

If the ring you want is in between the widths of the narrow and wide sizers,
then average them. If its pretty close to one or the other, then use that
measurement. If you're not sure whether the measurement you have is correct,
have your finger sized again. Since this ring essentially cannot be sized, you
really do want to get it right the first time. They may say they can size it a
quarter size, but that probably means grinding a bit out of the inside, thinning
the ring slightly. That works, but it's better if you can avoid needing to do
it.

By the way, ring sizes are not always so fixed for some people. Aside from the
obvious change with weight gain or loss, water retention or other causes of
tissue swelling can cause variances in some people. Women especially sometimes
experience this. Seasonal variances in temperature and humidity can also
change the way a ring might fit. So it's useful to at the least, check your
finger more than just once, if you think you might experience this sort of
thing.

If getting your finger sized is a fuss and bother, you can buy inexpensive
plastic ring sizers for a few dollars. Check ebay or any of the various jewelry
tools suppliers Most of these sizers are the narrow type.

Hope that helps.

Peter Rowe

Peter W.. Rowe, wrote:
On Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:13:23 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry mlescarlet
wrote:

Hi,

I'm hoping someone here knows enough to help me out on this.

I have found a very nice ring and want to purchase it for myself I
got sized once at a jewelry store and was a 9.5 (but it seemed loose
at the store) with a ring sizer for 6mm+ rings, then got sized again
with a sizer for 0-5mm rings and was an 8.75. Jewelry stores
recommend adding "anywhere from .5 size to 1.0 size" when being sized
with a 6mm sizer.

Since the ring is titanium and can be resized .25 up (not down) ONLY
before it has to be remade, clearly we want to get this right on the
first try.

Do you know which it is: .5+ or 1.0+?

Thanks!


It all depends on who took your finger size. Either way, whoever does
this, a competent person will be able to measure your finger accurately,
and precisely to a quarter size. No matter what the width of the band.
The rule or .5 to 1.0 size is nonsense!

Your finger size also depends a bit on whether you have "tapered" or
"bony" fingers, and where you live, i.e. what k ind of climate you live in.

Sizing a finger is no brain surgery, yet about 75% of all finger sizes I
get from "professionals" are wrong. I have never measured a client
incorrectly.

--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com