One of the most endearing parts of any proposal is the look of surprise on the partner’s face when they see the ring in the midst of being asked the life-changing question. The surprise is extremely important, and you want everything to be perfect. However, sometimes getting everything perfect might actually get in the way of the surprise.
If you don’t know the ring size of your partner before popping the question, it can become a tricky guessing game at the jeweler to see if you get it right. There are a few different ways to find out or pinpoint the right ring size for your partner, and the sizing is as important as finding unique engagement rings for women. This is an important moment in any relationship, and you want the ring to fit comfortably on them. You know the ring will be something they’ll cherish for a lifetime, so it’s worth putting in the effort to get the right size.
Borrow One of Your Partner’s Rings
If your partner regularly wears jewelry, and there are other rings that they wear, you can always borrow one to find out the right size. Ideally, you’ll be borrowing a ring that they wear on the ring finger of their left hand – where most engagement rings are worn. You should be able to take that piece to the jeweler to determine the correct size. Even if it’s not worn on the left hand’s ring finger, don’t worry too much. There shouldn’t be too much fluctuation between finger sizes, so you should be at least get close enough to get a good fit.
There are issues with this plan, however. If you really want the proposal to be a surprise, you’ll have to be careful to make sure that your partner doesn’t know you’ve borrowed the ring. This can be more difficult if they wear these particular rings every day, as they’ll likely not go long without them on their fingers. It’s also important to get something you know they’ve worn recently, as some older jewelry may not get worn anymore because it simply doesn’t fit.
Use a Ring Sizer
There are plenty of methods to find out the size of a ring, and one of the most obvious is to use a ring sizer. You can easily purchase a plastic or metal ring sizer online or from a jeweler. From there, you can take one of their rings and measure it when they’re not wearing it to get the proper size. This might be one of the easier methods of getting the exact ring size, but you’ll have to take some care in getting the ring to measure it. Again, if it’s a popular piece of jewelry, they might be wearing it the majority of the time.
It only takes a few seconds to determine the ring with a ring sizer, so it’s not like you’ll need to borrow the ring for an extended period of time. This makes the process of finding out the ring size much quicker, as you won’t have to take it down to the jeweler to get measured. It’s also important to note that this adds another purchase to the whole plan – even though most ring sizers are relatively inexpensive. This will get you the proper ring size, and will likely keep your secret a surprise until the proposal actually happens.
Trace the Inside of a Ring
If you’re worried that borrowing a ring might unintentionally ruin the surprise, and you don’t want to take the steps to purchase a ring sizer, there is another quick and easy way to determine the size of a ring someone wears. You can trace the inside of the ring onto a piece of paper and take it to a jeweler. The jeweler will be able to use the shape to estimate the size, getting you on the right track to securing the perfect ring at the right size for your partner.
This takes almost no time at all, and provides no extra cost, but you’ll still need to be a bit sneaky when making the tracing. This can be done any time that they’re not wearing the ring, so be careful to make the tracing when they won’t be able to realize what you’re doing. This will get you the right sizing while maintaining the ever-important surprise factor in your engagement. This method also requires the partner to already wear jewelry, and it’s important to trace the ring size on a piece that they wear regularly so that you know it fits.
Ask Friends or Family Members
Whether your partner wears a lot of jewelry or not, there may be a friend or family member that knows their ring size – or at least can get close. Friends often try on jewelry with other friends, and that can give insight as to where to start looking on a sizing scale. If your partner swaps jewelry often with one or more of their friends, odds are they are pretty close to the same size. This can be extremely helpful when trying to get the right size without flat out asking your partner.
The risk in this method is bringing in another person into the secret. If you want the proposal to be a surprise, the friend or family member in question has to be trusted to keep it a surprise. They’ll have to keep the secret as long as you do – and that can range from a few days to a much longer period of time. Depending on when you plan on proposing, it’s important that the friend or family member understands the importance the surprise factor is going to play in the proposal. You might be able to trust them to know your partner’s ring size, but you also have to trust them enough that they won’t spill your secret to your partner – or someone else that may tell your partner.
Play the Averages
If you have no idea what size your partner’s rings are, and have no way to figure it out without completely spoiling the surprise, you can always go with what the average person wears. In the United States, the average size of a ring for women is generally 6-6.5, and the average size for men is typically between 9-10. This isn’t saying that all women or men fall into these ranges, but this can be a good starting point to make a more informed decision.
Check out rings at the jeweler that are average size, and see if they look like they might be too big or too small. Of course, people have different sized fingers, with some being thicker or thinner than others. You likely know the makeup of your partner’s hands, and they may have even complained in the past about how jewelry fits. It’s always best to be as accurate as possible, but starting with the average size can cut down on some of the guesswork. Those average sizes will fit a larger cross-section of people, and might be close enough – depending on the partner’s actual size. They can always be adjusted and resized later, so don’t worry too much, even if you have no idea what their size is.
Guess Now, Resize Later
If you’re really uncertain on the size of ring your partner wears, and don’t want to give away the surprise, there’s always the option to just shrug your shoulders and guess. You likely have a good idea of the size of your partner’s hands, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can get into the right ballpark of sizing a ring for them. It’s typically better to go slightly larger than smaller, since at least then they’ll be able to get the ring on their finger at the time of the proposal. However, don’t be deterred from selecting a ring just because you don’t know the right size.
Don’t hesitate to ask the jeweler for help. You most certainly won’t be the first person that they’ve dealt with that was in the dark about their partner’s ring size, and you also won’t be the last. Almost every jeweler out there has resizing services, and they’ll be more than happy to help get the ring the right size for the right person. They also may even be able to guide you in the right direction for sizing with some simple questions, getting you at least close enough to be prepared to pop the question.
There are a number of methods to try and uncover your partner’s ring size without cluing them into the planning of a surprise proposal. If the surprise is particularly important to you, there’s a way to identify the right size. Talk to your jeweler to get more ideas on how to find out the right size, as they might have other ideas to get that measurement. For more information on engagement rings and their sizing, reach out to the experts at Kate Maller today.