How to Measure Your Ring Size at Home

A ring that arrives in the wrong size is the most common reason a piece goes back. Measuring at home takes five minutes and removes most of the guesswork — but only if you avoid three specific errors.

Method 1: Measure a ring you already own

The most reliable method, because it measures a known quantity.

Take a ring that fits the finger you're buying for. Measure the inside diameter, edge to edge across the widest point, in millimeters. Compare against a size chart. Sizes here are US.

The error to avoid: measuring the outside diameter. On a wide or heavily textured band this adds two or three millimeters, which is more than a full size.

Method 2: Measure the finger

Wrap a strip of paper or a length of string around the base of the finger. Mark where it overlaps, lay it flat, and measure the length in millimeters. That number is the circumference.

Three errors that make this method fail:

• Pulling tight. The strip should sit against the skin without compressing it. A strip pulled taut reads half a size small.

• Measuring at the wrong point. Measure the base of the finger, but check that the strip can pass over the knuckle. On some hands the knuckle is the limiting measurement, not the base.

• Measuring at the wrong time. Fingers are smallest in the morning and in cold weather, largest at the end of the day and in heat. Measure mid-afternoon at room temperature, or measure twice and take the average.

Band width changes the number

A wide band sits against more of the finger and reads tighter than a narrow band of the same size. The wider the band, the more this matters — a 10 mm band can need a full size more than a 2 mm one.

If a listing gives a band width and you're between sizes, take the larger size.

What you can't fix later

Not every ring can be resized after it's made, and the reason is structural rather than a matter of policy:

• A ring with relief running all the way around has no plain section to cut and rejoin. Cutting the band breaks the pattern and the finish at the join.

• A plated ring — gold vermeil or rhodium — loses its plating where the band is cut, and the join can't be re-plated locally.

Both are stated on the product page under Fit, along with what to do if the size is wrong.

If the size is still wrong

Return it within 30 days, shipping covered both ways, and order the correct size.