Post # 1

Member
114 posts
Blushing bee
That’s sort of how I’m feeling right now! I consider myself a pretty smart gal but dang, I can’t seem to figure this out for the life of me. My bf is currently ring shopping (on his own) and now I’m thinking I gave him the wrong size.
Last year I measured myself with a professional metal ring sizer (metal bands that were probably 6-8 mm thick if I had to guess), it came out to a 5.5. But as I’ve been browsing photos of other gals rings on here I kept thinking my fingers looked a lot thinner than most 5.5 fingers. So I busted out the one ring I own that fits that finger (it’s maybe a quarter size too snug) and the diameter measured 15mm which is a size 4. What? That’s a pretty big difference! Can the thick band of the sizer make that much difference to a thin band – or can I just not measure? Should I just go into a jewelry and ask to try on 2mm bands for size?
I know I can always get something re-sized but I have a feeling he’ll end up buying off of Blue Nile and then I’d have to send my ring back right away and live without it for a few weeks. Did anybody else have such a hard time landing on the right size?
Post # 3

Member
670 posts
Busy bee
Thick band sizer will tell you your fingers are bigger than they really are
Post # 4

Member
593 posts
Busy bee
you are not crazy. My engagement ring is 1 mm thick in a size 6.5 (probably should actually be a 6.25), and when I am without my engagment ring for any reason I wear a plain metal 3mm thick band. It is in a size 7 and fits perfectly.
So:
1mm = size 6.25
3 mm = 7
I recommend going to a store to try on actual rings with the band thickness you want and seeing how the sizing feels.
Post # 5

Member
4474 posts
Honey bee
If you have a ring that fits you comfortably and you’re not 100% sure of the size, take it to the jeweler and they’ll give you an accurate size. Since you said this ring is a bit snug, go up a quarter or half size. Also remember that the ering will be a tad smaller on you when you when you add a wedding band, so you may want to go up a quarter or half size. Keep in mind as well that fingers get smaller when its cold and get larger in heat and if you tend to retain water.
I can wear a 5.5 comfortably but if my fingers swell it gets uncomfortable. A 6 is perfect in heat but will be loose in cold. I ended up going with a 6 anyways.
Post # 6

Member
561 posts
Busy bee
My jeweler has thin and thick ring sizers because the thickness of the band will make a difference in what size you need.
Post # 7

Member
674 posts
Busy bee
@EmmyGirl: A thicker band ring will need to be a bigger size than a thinner one (think about it, your compressing around something that has nowhere else to go)
Post # 8

Member
114 posts
Blushing bee
Thanks so much for all the advice ladies! I’ll have to make a point to stop into a jewelry store soon to figure out the mystery 🙂
Post # 9

Member
1237 posts
Bumble bee
This happened to me! I was sized in a shop as a 4.5 but the .85 mm band on my engagement ring was way too big (got sized down to a 4 and is still a little loose). I can’t believe the jeweler didn’t mention this to me when I was clearly shopping for thin bands! I would recommend trying to be sized with a thin band but unfortunately a lot of jewelers do not carry such small sizes in stock.