A perfect piece of jewelry could look all wrong if it isn’t sized right. Thankfully, there are methods that you can use to help ensure you purchase the ideal size whenever you’re shopping for jewelry, especially online.
Here’s a breakdown of jewelry sizing tips that you can implement the next time you’re shopping for rings, bracelets, and necklaces. Don’t feel too stressed about choosing the perfect size, though, as you can always enlist the help of expert jewelers who can resize a piece if it’s too small or too big on you.
Ring Sizing: Get the Perfect Fit for Any Finger
Selecting the right size when shopping for a ring will ensure it will fit snugly enough to not fall off your finger while you’re out and about. And it will also ensure it’ll come off easily at the end of the day.
Measuring your finger is surprisingly easy. Some jewelers offer ring size charts that you can use, and there are ring sizers that you can purchase, but there are other methods that you can use at home, and they won’t cost you any money.
One method that you can try involves taking some string and wrapping it around your finger where the ring would sit. Using a pen, mark where the ends of the string meet. Then, extend the string across a ruler to find your measurement in millimeters (mm). Just be sure that, throughout this process, you don’t stretch the string, as that could end up impacting the accuracy of the measurement.
How can you convert the mm to your ring size? Well, size 3 equals 14.1 mm, and you add 0.4 mm for each half size from there. Here’s a chart to get you started:
Millimeters | Ring Size |
14.9 | 4 |
15.3 | 4.5 |
15.7 | 5 |
16.1 | 5.5 |
16.5 | 6 |
16.9 | 6.5 |
17.3 | 7 |
17.7 | 7.5 |
18.1 | 8 |
18.5 | 8.5 |
19 | 9 |
19.4 | 9.5 |
19.8 | 10 |
20.2 | 10.5 |
20.6 | 11 |
Tips:
- It’s a good idea to measure your finger for your ring size during the evening, and when you don’t feel too cold or too hot (your finger will be thinner when you’re cold and thicker when you’re hot). And measuring multiple times, perhaps at different times of day and in different temperatures, can also give you a better idea of what size would be the best fit for your finger in varying conditions.
- Remember, you should be able to slide your ring comfortably along your finger without it getting stuck. So, for example, if your knuckle is large, calculating your ring size and then ordering a half size bigger might help ensure it can slide on and off without struggle.
Note: There’s usually a slight difference in size between the fingers on one hand and the other, so measure the finger that you’re planning on wearing your ring on.
Bracelet Sizing: From Snug to Loose
When it comes to bracelets, you have some flexibility because you can wear your bracelet a little looser or a little tighter, depending on what you prefer.
Once again, you can measure your wrist at home. Just use tape measure ribbon, or you can use a strip of paper and a ruler in the same way that you’d use a string and ruler to measure your finger.
You can start by measuring around your wrist bone to get your wrist size. Then, do some math to get your ideal bracelet size.
Here are some rough guidelines that you can consider following to get an idea of what bracelet size would be best for you:
Want your bracelet to fit snugly? | Add anywhere from ¼” to ½” to your wrist measurement. |
Want your bracelet to fit comfortably? | Add anywhere from ¾” to 1” to your wrist measurement. |
Want your bracelet to fit loosely? | Add 1.25” to your wrist measurement. |
Note: One wrist might be a little bigger than the other, so keep that in mind while taking your measurements.
Necklace Sizing: It’s All About the Length
Like bracelets, when you wear a necklace, you have a lot of flexibility to choose how long you want it to be.
Start by measuring your neck. If you’re a man, you can use your shirt collar size, or you can do like women and use a tape measure ribbon that you can gently wrap around the base of your neck to get your measurement. Then, add a couple of inches to find the smallest necklace size that would fit comfortably.
Generally, the following rules apply to necklace measurements for women:
Where necklace lands | Measurement |
Choker | 16” |
At collarbone | 17” to 18” |
Below collarbone | 20” |
At neckline | 22” |
Below neckline | 24” |
For men, you can use the following as a guide:
Where necklace lands | Measurement |
At base of neck | 18” |
To collarbone | 20” |
Below collarbone | 22” |
Above sternum | 24” |
At sternum | 30” |
Still Need Help? Ask a Professional!
Whenever you’re shopping for jewelry, getting the sizing right is key, but it can be a bit of a challenge. Hopefully, the information above has cleared up a lot about sizing for rings, bracelets, and necklaces. But if you still need support, asking experts like those at DazzleMe is the way to go to rest assured you’re making the appropriate choice.
Sources:
https://www.piaget.com/services/jewelry-sizing-guide
https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/shoes-accessories/jewelry/how-to-measure-ring-size
https://www.jewlr.com/info/ring_sizing
https://www.interweave.com/article/jewelry/measure-perfectly-sized-bracelet-bangle/
https://www.silvertribe.com/jewelry-measurement
https://www.reeds.com/necklace-and-chain-size-guide.html