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Thread: How to Size a Ring

  1. #1
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    Oct 2017
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    Question How to Size a Ring

    Hi guys,

    A very simple part of jewellery making that seems to be causing me a lot of headaches at the moment!

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    In the example above how would you determine the ring size?

    Personally I take the measurement from the center of the ring so in this instance the ring would be bang on a size 12 US. It seems that a number of people would consider this to be a US 12 1/4 though as they may take the size from the bottom edge. In this example there is only a 1/4 size difference but on wider or chunkier rings this can make a much more significant difference.

    My reasoning for using the centerline for sizing is that if a ring is court shaped / comfort fit then the bottom edge method will give a different ring size depending on the width of the ring and on the radius of the inside of the ring. The center line however will remain the same regardless of these variables.

    Is one method "right" and one "wrong" or is it simply that the international jewellery industry hasn't agreed on a standard and I'm doomed regardless of which method I use?

    Thanks,

    Sam
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Screenshot_20171107-080416.jpg   Screenshot_20171107-080416.jpg  

  2. #2
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    Default

    I size from the center also although I use European /English size the 1/4 size is insignificant a persons finger would vary that amount over the course of 24 hours

  3. #3
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    Oct 2017
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    Thank you for your reply. I agree that a 1/4 size is not significant however in this instance the customer claims that I have made the ring oversized and wants a refund as a result but that's a topic for another day! One of the joys of distance selling I suppose!

    I only asked the question because this has popped up a few times recently and I've had a few complaints that I've sized my rings differently to their local jewellers. In all but a very small number of cases it has been because the jewellers has taken the reading from the bottom edge rather than the center but it has made me wonder whether I should be sizing them differently in the first place. As a side note I have also started making all my rings in a traditional fit as standard because this also seems to have caused some confusion with sizing.

    Out of curiosity, for those of you who sell online - how do you go about confirming the size? I ask that people are professionally sized at a jewellers but how many people actually go to the trouble of getting properly sized I don't know.

  4. #4
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    As you will have worked out, taking the size from an imagined centre line is best, provided everyone does the same.
    The benefit is that it will also make some allowances for the width of the ring, because wider rings feel tighter on the finger.

    Most professionals adhere to a method of sizing that works for them and maintain that they don't have failures, ha ha.

    Personally, for any new ring, I make a blank in the exact size and width out of copper or brass for verification before I commit to precious metal. People can be quite casual about measuring their fingers, but change their minds after wearing a ring for a few days.

    For accuracy, my approch is to make rings a little small and then stretch to size on an upright ring stretcher. Dennis.

  5. #5
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    Oct 2017
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    Aberdeenshire
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dennis View Post
    provided everyone does the same.
    This seems to be where I am getting caught out!

    I am thinking it could be worth either making or investing in a number of rings to send out to people although at the moment about 95% of my sales are online so it could be a bit of a pain having to send them out for every order. Where people in the past have been uncertain I have done exactly that and made a sizing band out of some random metal I have in the workshop so I am starting to build an inventory of them although frustratingly they all seem to be in extreme sizes!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Posts
    71

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    You could try sending these out http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...ers&channel=uk

    I've not had the opportunity to try them myself as I'm not selling at the moment but I know some people swear by them.

  7. #7
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    Sep 2014
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    I send out the plastic gauges that ang linked to above.
    Out of several hundred so far I have only had 2 that weren't right.
    I do tell the customer now that if they get the size wrong using my gauge I will have to charge for altering if it requires any significant amount of work such as when stones have to be removed and reset.

  8. #8
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    Oct 2017
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    Aberdeenshire
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    Thank you for the suggestions and the link to the sizers. Next time I'm putting in an order with Cooksons I'll get a couple and see how I get on! To be honest I think it will be an improvement on what I'm doing at the moment - I've had people try all sorts to measure their fingers before!

  9. #9
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    Sep 2014
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    Yes , do check that they work with the mandrel you are using to work from too

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