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How to Measure for an Engagement Ring Without Your Partner Knowing

How to Measure for an Engagement Ring Without Your Partner Knowing

30th January 2022

So, you’ve found the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life with. Congratulations! Now, the fun can start as you begin the journey of finding the perfect diamond engagement ring.

The first step in ring shopping is, of course, learning what your partner’s ring size is. This can be a very tricky task if you’re wanting to keep it all a secret. But, it’s not impossible. Here, we’ve created a guide full of sneaky ideas and useful tips to measure for an engagement ring without your partner knowing.

1. Ask Friends and Family

 If you’re comfortable, let your partner’s friends or family in on the secret so they can help. You may be in luck and someone might know what your partner’s ring size is straight away. If the friend or family member doesn't know, then they can bring it up in conversation and nonchalantly ask. Or, they could suggest a shopping trip where they both try on rings for ‘fun’. This way, your partner will be able to get professionally sized which the friend or family member can quietly note down to tell you later. And, you may also get some idea of the styles of rings they like, making it a win-win situation!

 2. Steal One of Your Partner’s Rings for the Day

If your partner wears a lot of jewellery, sneak into their jewellery box and steal a ring that you know they wear on one of their ring fingers for the day. You can then take the ring to your nearest jeweller to get it sized. You’ll need to be tactical though and take a ring that they don’t wear often and won’t notice if it’s missing. Otherwise, this plan may backfire on you. Do bear in mind though that while this can be a very accurate method, every finger is different and the average person’s dominant writing hand is always slightly bigger. So, if you take a ring worn on their middle finger or on their right hand and they are right-handed, make sure to size it down.

3. Draw Around a Ring

If you don’t want to risk getting caught taking a ring, or worse, end up losing it, you can, instead, take the ring that’s closest to the size of their left ring finger, place it on a piece of paper and draw a circle on the inside and the outside of the ring. Make sure you do this several times to ensure the drawing is consistent and as accurate as possible. Then, take the drawing to your nearest jeweller who should be able to work out the inner diameter to get your partner’s size.

 4. Use String Stealthily

 Using string to measure your partner’s finger is one of the best ways of sizing if you don’t have a ring sizer handy. But, if you’re doing it secretly, then it can be very risky and require you to be extremely stealthy. While your partner is asleep, take a piece of string and wrap it around their left ring finger. Then, identify the point where the end meets the string and mark it with a pen. Lay the string flat on a piece of paper and measure the length of the mark you made in millimetres. Take the measurement to a jeweller and they’ll be able to find the closest ring size. If you master this method, you’ll no doubt feel extremely proud of yourself and will have a great story to tell after the proposal!

5. Choose a Temporary Engagement Ring 

We understand how important it is to get the engagement ring just right. And, if your partner already has the perfect ring in mind, it may be best to not take the risk and propose with a temporary ring first before buying the ring of their dreams in exactly the right size. There are lots of creative ways to propose with a temporary ring, from sweet rings and toy rings to more affordable placeholders that can be kept and cherished long after the real engagement ring has been bought. This is no less romantic and gives your partner the opportunity to find or design their perfect engagement ring themselves which many modern people prefer. 

Top Tips to Remember about Ring Sizes

 When it comes to discovering your partner's ring size, there are a few things you need to consider and keep in mind while trying to measure.

Different Style Rings Fit Differently

 Wider bands often have a tighter fit than thinner bands. So, if you’re borrowing a ring to measure, try to make sure it’s the same width as the ring you’re planning on buying for a more accurate sizing.

Always Choose the Bigger Size

 If you don’t have the exact measurement, choose a ring that’s a slightly bigger size so the ring can go over the knuckle when you propose. This wear, at least your partner can wear the ring and they can always buy special silicone bands to go around the ring as a quick solution to make it fit more comfortably until it can be resized. 

Finger Sizes can Change During the Day

 The size of your fingers can change throughout the day due to temperature or activities. When it’s a warm day, you may find your fingers will swell slightly. On a colder day, they tend to shrink. A lot of people also find that their fingers are bigger in the morning but shrink back to their normal size during the day. 

 

What To Do if the Ring Doesn’t Fit

 If the ring doesn’t fit, first of all, don’t panic. It happens to the best of us! If the ring isn’t a full eternity style ring, where the diamonds go all around the band, then it should be easy enough to resize. If there are other stones, such as emeralds, rubies or the band is rose gold, this can also make resizing difficult as the stones and the metal could crack during the process. Diamond rings with a platinum or gold setting with enough room on the band to go up or down a size, are the easiest to change.

At Sacet, we allow up to 60-days free ring resizing. This service is for rings that need resizing up to two sizes up or down. If it needs to be resized more than two sizes, we charge a small fee of £59/€59. Please bear in mind that any item returned for resizing must be unworn, with the tag on and in pristine condition. 

Need some proposal ideas? Take a look at these ultra-romantic proposal ideas for autumn.

After they’ve said yes, you’ll then both need to choose your wedding rings! Read our guide on how to select your wedding ring.


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