How to find out someone's ring size without asking
Updated
A ring is the one piece of jewelry that has to fit, and asking for a size gives the surprise away. These are the ways people find it out quietly, most accurate first.
Check their taste map
If your partner has built a taste map on The Perfect Hint, it can include their US ring size, set by them, so it is the most accurate answer there is. It also holds their usual necklace length and whether their ears are pierced. Once you are linked, you can see it without asking, and they set it once for every gift to come.
Measure a ring they already wear
Without a taste map, the most reliable way is a ring they wear on the same finger. Borrow it for a few minutes and measure the inside, edge to edge, with a ruler marked in inches or millimeters, then look the number up in the chart below. If you cannot borrow it for long, trace the inside circle on paper or press it into a bar of soap and measure that later.
A jeweler can also size a borrowed ring in a minute on a ring mandrel, which is more accurate than a ruler.
Fingers differ from hand to hand, and the dominant hand often runs a little larger, so a ring from their right hand is a guide to the left ring finger, not a match.
Ask someone who would know
A close friend, sibling or parent may know their size, or can ask about it more casually than you can. If they have ever been sized at a jeweler, the size may be in an old receipt or account.
Ring size chart (US)
Half sizes fall halfway between the rows. Millimeters are easier to read on a small ring than fractions of an inch, which is why both are here.
| US size | Inside diameter | Inside circumference |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0.59 in (14.9 mm) | 1.84 in (46.8 mm) |
| 5 | 0.62 in (15.7 mm) | 1.94 in (49.3 mm) |
| 6 | 0.65 in (16.5 mm) | 2.04 in (51.9 mm) |
| 7 | 0.68 in (17.3 mm) | 2.14 in (54.4 mm) |
| 8 | 0.71 in (18.1 mm) | 2.24 in (57.0 mm) |
| 9 | 0.74 in (18.9 mm) | 2.34 in (59.5 mm) |
| 10 | 0.78 in (19.8 mm) | 2.44 in (62.1 mm) |
| 11 | 0.81 in (20.6 mm) | 2.54 in (64.6 mm) |
| 12 | 0.84 in (21.4 mm) | 2.65 in (67.2 mm) |
If you are still not sure
- Go half a size up rather than down. A ring that is slightly loose can be worn until it is resized; one that will not go over the knuckle cannot.
- Wide bands fit more snugly than narrow ones, so for a band wider than about 1/4 inch (6 mm), go up a quarter to half a size.
- Rings with stones all the way around, like full eternity rings, usually cannot be resized. If the size is a guess, a half-eternity ring or a solitaire is safer.
- Check the retailer's resizing and return policy before you buy, since every shop on The Perfect Hint sets its own.
- Or choose a piece that needs no size at all: earrings and most necklaces fit everyone.
Or let them show you
On The Perfect Hint, your partner marks the pieces they would actually wear as hints, and you browse a catalog ranked by their taste. You still choose the piece and the moment, and they never see what you bought.
How it worksQuestions people ask
- What is the average ring size?
- Commonly cited averages in the US are around a 6 for women and a 9 to 10 for men, but the range is wide, so use an average only as a last resort.
- Is it better to size a ring up or down?
- Up. A ring a little too big can be worn until it is resized; a ring too small may not go on at all. Half a size up is the usual margin.
- Can any ring be resized?
- Most plain gold and platinum rings can be resized by a size or two. Full eternity rings, tension settings and rings made of tungsten or titanium usually cannot.
- How accurate is measuring a finger with string?
- Less accurate than measuring a ring. String stretches and is easy to pull too tight or leave loose, and it misses the knuckle the ring has to pass over.