Help with educated guess for ring size

[jonnyc]

So I've had the hardest time trying to determine her ring size. She only has 3 rings, all which are worn on her index finger. I tried putting a thing string around her finger while she was sleeping and she woke up (thankfully didn't realize what I was doing!) Her friends all can't keep secrets like that, so I don't feel comfortable asking them for help (especially since I doubt my g/f even knows her ring size)

I'm soon going to be purchasing a custom whiteflash setting with a 1.5mm shank. I'm trying to narrow down the size to one that would not be too off for re-sizing. I have 1 last ditch effort I'll probably do tonight. I'm going to buy a ring in size 4 from claire's, and tell her one of her friends I work with asked me to see if she wanted it because it no longer fit. Then just put it on the index finger, which I know it'll be too small and then try the ring finger. If it's too small, I know it's higher than a 4, if it fits right I'm in the money and if it's loose than I know to go 3.75 or so to be safe.

What I know is that she has very petite hands, and her index finger is a size 5. There doesn't appear to be all that much difference in size between her index and ring finger, although you can tell it is slightly smaller. Ive been told i could size the ring 1 size up or down, but it may impact the structural integrity so I want to be as close as possible.

What would your guess be at her ring size range if her index is a 5? I set up a poll or you can just respond.

Thanks for the help! Trying to find out the size has been driving me crazy.

 

[mrswahs]

What about her parents? My mom and dad are the only ones who had ever bought me jewelry before and they knew my ring size from valentines day gifts and school rings.

I don't know if there's really any safe way to go.

My index finger on one hand is an 8 (yikes!) and on the other it's a 7. My ring finger on my left hand is a 6.5 and the other is a 6. I've got petite hands but huge knuckles (I'm a serial knuckle cracker). What I'm trying to say is that there is no formula to know what size it is.

Your idea of getting a cheap ring from claires to try out the size is probably your best bet, but I'm afraid she might get suspicious. Since you're getting the ring online and the sizing process won't be as easy as it was for me (same day service at the local jeweler) I'd say that's the way to go to know for sure!

 

[SilverFire]

A little larger is not as bad as a little smaller, because if it's too small you can't get it on, and we all know that's terrible! . mrwwahs is right....there is no formula for ring sizes. Here's some ideas for finding the right ring size http://www.danforthdiamond.com/guess-a-ring-size. Some of them are pretty tricky!

 

[kelpie]

That is a really tough call. Her hands must be very tiny. My index is at least 6.5 and my ring is only 4. I have fingers without any knuckle meat. I would not go too small however...maybe 3.5 or 4 is a good place to start. I'm sure it will need to be sized no matter what. It is better to go too big so she can at least wear it than too small. Do you know her shoe size, height and weight? If all things point to tiny then go small.

 

[lbbaber]

Have you tried using those plastic ring sizers while she was sleeping? It might be easier than a string and get a more accurate answer. I got one-- free-- from costco when i was looking at buying a RHR ring there.

 

[jonnyc]

Thanks for the link! I've actually been to that one before ( as well as about 50 others) to try and find unique ways to get it. I'm hoping my idea for tonight works by buying a ring in a size 4 and hopefully (A) she lets me put it on her finger and (B) it either fits or is too tight.

I think I'll probably end up going with a size 4.5 which should probably fit on and give down to a 3.5 but she'd prob only need it down to about a 4.

Do many people have ring sizes under 4? That must be super tiny hands. My g/f is 5'5 - 105lbs so she's tiny, but I don't think she has hands that small, but I could be wrong.

 

[baby monster]

My index finger is 1 size larger than ring finger so it's really a guessing game for you. You can ask to measure her wrist for you for "future reference" and then slip in a ring finger measure as well. Just say you want to be prepared for the next bday, christmas, vday, etc. Even if she does suspect something, anticipation is half the fun!

 

[PrincessNuggz]

I'm size 3.5. FWIW, I'm a little under 5'5 and weigh 120 lbs. So your girlfriend is definitely a little smaller than me in size. However, while I think you can assume she's going to have fingers on the smaller side, I'm not sure height and weight can always accurately predict ring sizes. I just happen to have teeny tiny bones. Apparently.

I think going with a 4 or 4.5 is probably a safe bet though. I wish I knew my index finger size to be able to help you out a little, but, alas, I don't.

 

[Luckycharms]

It seems like 4 would be a safe bet. A local jeweler should also be able to re-size the ring for you pretty easily.

 

[jonnyc]

lbbaber - she's 5'5 105lbs with a size 6.5 shoe. I also ordered the plastic ring sizers from blue nile awhile ago it seems. Haven't gotten them yet. Maybe today? Maybe they have those at claire's I can purchase. I still think she may wake up while doing it and it's harder to pull that off that it would be to tug a string away.

baby monster - I almost broke down and just flat out asked her last night, letting her know we've been together for over 3 yrs and the day may come where I want to get engaged. Then i'd tell her i want to know now, well in advance just so it's a surprise for when it happens. Only thing though, is that we are going to barbados in May and NYC in June so I would imagine she'd suspect (correctly) that I'm thinking of doing it at one of those times. Made me want to try secretly one or two more times, but at the same time want to move forward with the custom ring at WF and they need a size before going into a CAD design.

 

[jonnyc]

it seems like a 4 or 4.5 is a safe bet. Maybe I'll start with a 4.25 and go from there. If she's smaller than a 3.25 than I guess she can wear it on a necklace haha.

 

[SilverFire]

Do many people have ring sizes under 4? That must be super tiny hands. My g/f is 5'5 - 105lbs so she's tiny, but I don't think she has hands that small, but I could be wrong.

Just for reference to show how different people can be, I'm 5'4" and 103lbs so technically I'm tiny. My ring finger size is 6 and my index finger is like 8. My boyfriend says I don't have big hands, but...I think I've got my daddy's hands. (My dad is like 5'8" and like a size 15 ring finger.)

You're probably safe with a 4.25 like you've said, based on what you've told us...but be prepared to get it re-sized. Right now I wear a size 7.5 on my 6 size ring finger. It stays on but it can fall off sometimes too. You should be fine.

 

[clgwli]

I would go with 4.5 honestly. Just to be on the safe side. I'd rather the ring be a bit big than a bit small. She's probably around a 4 based off of how my "kid sized hands" work, but I would err on the side of caution with this. I'm 5' tall and a size 2 (give or take) thanks to my big old botty. I do wear a size 7-7.5 shoe though. Big feet for my height, but my ring size is currently around a 4.25 - I think.

I say I think because my current 4.75 (I like them fitting a little loose and I have a wider anniversary band) is starting to feel way too big. But my left hand pointer finger is a 5 last time I checked (with the 4.25 ring finger at that time). So they aren't far off.

My right hand is the same way. Only my middle finger is a full size larger than my ring finger. My pointer finger is definitely smaller.

I would ask her if you think it is best though. If you've been together that long, talking of an engagment wouldn't be a huge surprise I bet, even if the actual proposal (when & where) might be.

 

[jonnyc]

interesting. Thank you for your thoughts. I just realized I made a mistake! Her MIDDLE finger is a size 5, not her index. With that said, it seems like for the most part, there is about 1 size difference between the middle and ring finger. Can't believe I got my fingers mixed up! For whatever reason I thought the middle was index and the index was a pointer. Opps! With that said though, I think I'm more set on the 4.25, however I'll still probably try the ring trick tonight by buying a 4 and seeing if she'll let me put it on and if it's loose or tight.

Thanks for everyones thoughts! You've all been very helpful.

 

[kelpie]

It is pretty much impossible to find cheapy rings off the shelf lower than size 5 in stores. Which is exactly why she always has to wear rings on her middle fingers. Good luck!

 

[jonnyc]

haha, makes sense. I could get one off amazon I guess. I couldn't even find something under a size 7 at target and I must have looked super sketchy trying them on my pinky finger looking for one that didn't fit (Her middle finger ring fits tight on my pinky - in fact i tried it on when she went to the bathroom one night and almost couldn't get it off before she came back. Got real nervous!)

 

[skphotoimages]

My pointer finger on my right hand is a 6 and on my left hand it is a 5. I think a 4 would be safe as far as I'm sure it will go on, and you can have it sized down later. 3.75 might also be safe, but you could run the risk of it being uncomfortable once on depending if thats the widest part of her finger or not. For the record, my ring finger is probably in the 2.5-3.0 range, but all my rings have been sized a 3.5 and I have sizing bars/balls put in to keep the ring from spinning. If her knuckles are larger than her finger where the ring sits, you might want to do that too. Like have the ring sized a 4 with the sizing bars/ball put in so the ring wont spin, and it's comfortable to put on and more comfortable once on. Just a thought.

 

[jonnyc]

skphotoimages - what size is your middle finger? You have some tiny hands!

 

[clgwli]

If it is her middle finger I'd go with 4.25 just to be safe. Again I would go larger than smaller IMO. Who would love to get a ring and then not be able to wear it... just in case!

I personally can't find rings under 6 locally. People always say how luck I am to have small hands, but the bad thing is every single ring I get has to be sized or custom made. When I was in high school I wore a 6. I liked that much better honestly because at least the 7s that are even more common here were wearable on the middle finger

 

[jonnyc]

i guess that explains why she doesn't wear many rings! I've asked in the past if wearing rings annoy her (because they do to me - but I'm a guy) and she said they didn't, but then i never understood why she only had 3 rings. I guess I learn something new every day!

 

[Luminous-MB]

I voted for size 4, but now that you said it's the middle finger that's a 5, than a 4.25 probably would be safer.
You wouldn't happen to know her shoe size, would you? I've been finding that that correlation has been pretty consistent. (Shoe size, Ring finger size) Check it out.

 

[jonnyc]

i've read up on that, and it doesn't seem to hold true for the most part. Her shoe size is a 6.5 and she's a 0 or 00 in waist. No way she's a 6.5 for ring size!

 

[skphotoimages]

I have a size 8 shoe size and a size 2.5 (with a thin band) ring finger..lol. No correlation there. I'm 5' 8" and 115lbs. I have really tiny bones I think.
Anyway you asked my middle finger size. I think it's a 4.5-5. I don't know, on my hands my index and middle fingers seem more normal looking and then I have really thin ring and pinky fingers. Also there isn't a lot of difference between my middle and index fingers. I mean there is, but not much.
I'm like your lady though..I never had rings other than index finger rings because you just can't find rings that small (under a 5).

 

[Luminous-MB]

Really? How interesting. It holds true for me, everyone else here at work and I've started asking our clients and it seems to hold true for the most part!

 

[jonnyc]

my mom, who is also a size 6.5 shoe (I have her try on shoes that I'm giving as a gift to my g/f because I found they have the same size foot) has a 6 ring finger though, so that's closer.

 

[skphotoimages]

Yeah, even my petite size mom is 5' 3" and 125lbs has a size 9 shoe and a size 6 ring finger. Hmm..my best friend has size 10 feet an a size 6.5 ring finger. My SIL had size 7 feet and a size 5.5 ring finger. Actualy I don't think I know anyone that would work for. Maybe we are all big footed in relation to the rest of our bodies..lol. My cousin has size 4.5 shoes and a size 8 ring finger though.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Thanks for the link! I've actually been to that one before ( as well as about 50 others) to try and find unique ways to get it. I'm hoping my idea for tonight works by buying a ring in a size 4 and hopefully (A) she lets me put it on her finger and (B) it either fits or is too tight.

I think I'll probably end up going with a size 4.5 which should probably fit on and give down to a 3.5 but she'd prob only need it down to about a 4.

Do many people have ring sizes under 4? That must be super tiny hands. My g/f is 5'5 - 105lbs so she's tiny, but I don't think she has hands that small, but I could be wrong.

Are her nuckles small? My fingers are small, but I have larger knuckles so my rings are 4.75 (eng) and 5 (wedding) so they can fit over.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Is the shank going to have diamonds on it? If so, I wouldn't consider having it made without knowing the correct size. The best thing to do if you can't get the size is to set the diamond in a plain solitaire for the surprise proposal and then let her be involved in the custom design afterwards. I'd also warn you that there have been problems reported here with rings that thin. I wouldn't go under 1.8-2.0mm especially if you are having pave on the shank.

 

[iota15]

The shoe pattern doesn't work for me either. My ring size is about 3 measurements smaller than my shoe.

I chose 4.5, although 4.25 might be fine too. If you're proposing on a getaway, you don't want the ring too small. She can always tie something to the back of her ring so that the ring stays put on vacation. If it's too small, she won't be able to wear it until you return. Trust me, she is going to want it ON her finger.

What kind of setting are you getting? A solitaire? a fancy one with lots of holes?

If it's a solitaire, I wouldn't worry about it too much - as long as it's larger, it's fine. They can stand to be resized quite a bit more than a fancy, intricate shank setting.

 

[amc80]

Really? How interesting. It holds true for me, everyone else here at work and I've started asking our clients and it seems to hold true for the most part!

I'm 5'7" with size 9.5 or 10 shoe. My ring size is 5.