There’s nothing more magical than that moment when you ask your partner to marry you! You plan the location, the time, and you even get other people involved. Most of all, you want it to be a surprise.
The issue that many of my prospective clients face is how to get the ring size without spoiling the big reveal. Whether you’re purchasing a ring or having one custom-made, you want the ring to fit. So in this article, I share 5 tips and tricks to find out your partner's ring size, plus two common (but not-so-accurate) methods to avoid. Editor's note: #3 made us laugh! Total espionage vibes.
Before we find out your partner's ring size, here's a quick anatomy lesson:
Did you know that your hands are different sizes? It doesn't matter if you're right-handed or left-handed, either! About 95% of the time, your right hand is going to be bigger, usually about ½ to 1 full size larger than the left hand. Tradition has it that you wear your wedding rings on your left ring finger.
Depending on the style of the ring, an approximate sizing is usually all you need. In most cases, as long as you can get to within 1/2 to 1 size, quality rings in gold, platinum, and palladium can be adjusted. Rings with complex designs or gems going all the way around to the backside are, of course, the exception.
Ready to find out your partner's ring size?
Put on your super secret spy gear for Operation Surprise Proposal!
Tip 1: Corroborate with someone who knows them well
Check with their mom, friends, or siblings. Someone close to them may know your partner's ring size and are just waiting for you to ask! Or there may be a family heirloom that fits them. Of course, asking your partner's loved ones might be tipping your hand for a surprise proposal. If you'd rather secretly find out your partner's ring size, let's move on to…
Tip 2: Catch them in a ring-sizer
If you're working with a custom jeweler (like yours truly), they might be able to mail you a set of plastic ring sizers. Sometimes it's enough to have them lying around. People will naturally gravitate towards them and will be curious and start playing.
Here are some excuses you could have as to why there’s a ring sizer lying around:
“I’m getting a ring sized, and I have to send it out.”
“My mom needs my finger size for a ring she's planning on getting me.”
“I’m ordering a ring online for a friend.”
Then leave the ring sizers out (while you are watching), and your partner may try them on.
What if they don’t take the bait? Or you’re nervous they might catch on to the ruse? The sizers are still great to have for a couple of my other ideas. Just keep them tucked away!
Tip 3: Raid their jewelry box (by candlelight!?!)
Who knew trying to find out your partner's ring size was like a medieval mystery novel? So for this tip, you're going to need a candle with a nice taper so that you have the best variety of small to large finger sizes. Then, find a ring that already fits your partner! They might be wearing this ring on a different hand, so pay attention to which finger they wear it on.
If you can sneak the ring away for a moment, slide the ring onto a tapered candle, mark it top and bottom, and then slide the sizers on the candle and note the size.
Don’t have a candle? Try this instead:
Take the ring that fits your partner and try it on one of your fingers. Then, take your ring sizers and match the size to your finger. Note the size that is the closest and send it to your custom jeweler!
Or!
If you can somehow sneak the ring away, bring that ring to a jeweler and have the size read professionally.
Tip 4: Find out their ring size at a carnival or art market
How to propose to your partner, offbeat style
Getting ready to propose? YAY! Before we pop the bubbly, we've put together this guide on how to propose to your partner. Whether you're considering... Read more
A lot of craft fairs or markets feature silver jewelry, and often they'll have rings categorized by size. You can ‘stumble across’ these vendors (“Hey babe, let’s go over here…”) and pretend to ‘shop’ the rings. Maybe take a moment and say, “Hey, try this on,” or “ I think this one might look good on you! What do you think?” You may want to circle back around to the vendor to confirm the size of the ring, as they may not be labeled.
Too obvious? Enlist your partner's friends to take them instead!
Tip 5: Sneak a photo when they’re sleeping
The last-ditch effort to find out your partner's ring size, if none of these other methods work, is to take a picture of your partner's hand while they’re sleeping. The important part of this sneaky operation is to have an object that's used for scale right next to their hand. This may be a quarter, a dollar bill, or some other common object that your custom jeweler would also have on hand to measure. You’d be surprised how well this works! The key is to have the item right next to their hand – not too high or too low – to avoid issues of scale.
What NOT to do to find out your partner's ring size:
Now that you’ve learned about the most effective methods, there are two popular methods that really don't work:
DON'T: Tie a piece of string or wrap a piece of paper around the finger.
Not only is this going to give away the surprise, but it also isn't very accurate. Unfortunately, the “string method” doesn’t account for the fact that the ring needs to glide over the knuckle. So, the ring usually ends up being too small.
DON'T: Use the paper-sizer templates found online
This doesn’t work for the same reasons as the string method above, not to mention the possibility of discrepancies that could occur from printing. Plus, with both the paper and the string method, you’d risk giving away the surprise.
Thank you Glitter and Gold Studio for sharing sneaky ways to find a ring size!
Got any other tips or tricks for secret ways to find out your partner’s ring size? Drop them in the comments below!
Offbeat Wed Vendor
This page features vendors from our curated Offbeat Wed Vendor Directory. They're awesome and we love them. If you're a vendor let's get you in here!
