These days, many couples are very open about their intentions to get married, often collaborating on the ring design and searching for diamonds together. It goes without saying that you’re not going to have any issues getting the ring size if you’re ring shopping together and she knows the proposal is coming. In this case, we suggest requesting one of our ring sizers for her to try on or going to a local jeweler for sizing. That being said, we’re going to focus on tactics for getting the ring size “without” her knowing in the following paragraphs. Here are the top strategies for getting her ring size without blowing the surprise:

Option A: Ask her friends and family

Your first plan of action should be to ask the people that know her best. Perhaps she likes to wear her mom's vintage ring that once belonged to her grandmother, or maybe she helped her best friend pick out an engagement ring and happened to try one on herself at the time. You never know who may have the answer you're looking for, just make sure that you don't approach anyone that might “spill the beans.”

If you come up empty-handed after asking her close friends and family members, don't worry as they may still be able to help. Plan B is getting one of them to ask her. The important thing here is that they ask her in a way that doesn't seem suspicious. For example, they can ask her the size of her middle finger or the ring finger on her right hand, giving the reason that it's for a gift from another friend or family member. As long as they can land a finger size close to that of the engagement ring finger, we can estimate accordingly.

If you have access to one of her rings

Have a local jeweler measure a ring she wears

If you can get your hands on one of her rings for a few hours, this is a great strategy for finding her ring size. When going this route, it is very important that you know the exact finger on which she wears this ring. Given that she likely doesn’t wear any rings on her wedding finger, you will have to estimate a slight size increase or reduction. For example, if you are having a ring measured which she wears on her middle or pointer finger, you will need to calculate a quarter to half size reduction for her ring finger. And if it's on her right, dominant hand then additional increases may be required.

Use a printable ring sizer like the one on our site 

If you are the type that prefers to do things from the comfort of your home, like have your groceries delivered and buy everything from toothpaste to socks on Amazon, we have a solution for you as well. Simply print the ring sizer on our website by clicking here and place one of her rings on top of each circle, representing the inside circumference of the band, until you find the one that matches the inside of her ring. Make sure that you are looking directly down on the ring and paper when determining this size so that there are no discrepancies. Remember to note the finger on which she wears the ring you are measuring so that we can adjust the size up or down accordingly.

Trace the inside of her ring

If you have access to her ring, but don’t have access to a printer and are unable to take the ring to a local jeweler for measuring, then this tactic is for yours. Take a ring that she wears regularly, noting the finger that she wears it on, and lay it flat on a sheet of paper. Next, as carefully as possible, use a sharp pencil or pen to trace the inside circumference of the ring. When you think that you have an accurate trace, measure the diameter of the circle in 3 or more locations, taking care to measure across the center. Using the longest distance you record, match the measurement you see to the associated ring size in the chart below.

If you don’t have access to one of her rings

Have her friend invite her to go shopping

The goal here is for the chosen friend to invite your girlfriend shopping, then “randomly” drop in a preselected jewelry store to “browse.” Since you will be calling the store ahead of time to notify them of your plan and your girlfriend’s estimated arrival time, they will be waiting to casually suggest that she try on a ring or two and inconspicuously snag the ring size during the process. Make sure you provide them with your girlfriend’s name and attire, as well as a picture if possible. Then call them after your girlfriend and her friend leave to get the classified information.

Take her shopping for another type of jewelry

This is probably the easiest strategy of them all because you never need a reason to spoil your girlfriend with some jewelry, like stud earrings or a tennis bracelet, and she’s probably not going to fight you on taking her to pick out something nice. If for some reason you do need an excuse, there are many to choose from - anniversary, birthday, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Memorial Day, Tuesday, etc… - On this occasion, we also suggest calling ahead and providing the store with your plan, estimated arrival time and details about your girlfriend, including a picture. While you're there make sure that the jeweler inconspicuously measures her ring size while trying on a nice fashion ring or colored stone band.

Other Tips:

When in doubt, go big.

If for any reason you are unable to get an exact size for your girlfriend, but you are able to get close, we suggest erring on the larger end by ¼ to ½ size for a few reasons; First, you want to be sure that your girlfriend is actually able to put the ring on when you propose. If the ring is a little big it will still slide over her finger and she will be able to admire it and wear it during pictures if you happen to have a photographer at the proposal. But, if it is too small, it won't go on her finger at all and the opportunity will be missed. The second reason is that it is easier for us to size a ring down than up. So, if you aren’t 100% sure on the size you have gathered, then go ¼ to ½ size bigger.

Don’t Stress, it can always be resized.

In conclusion, there are many ways to find her ring size, some of them more accurate than others. Although it is ideal to get it right the first time and avoid shipping the ring back to us for sizing and your girlfriend’s potential abandonment issues, it is very common for engagement rings to need a size adjustment and it is something that we will do absolutely free for you. Good luck and make sure to utilize the great resources we provide on our website.

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