Why generic ring sizers are not accurate
12th August 2025 - Ring recipient location: Bangalow NSW
It is time to address this very important issue, measuring finger sizes. Usually this is done with generic finger sizers and in most cases they are a different width and internal shape to the ring to be worn.
Wider usually means make it bigger to fit
A wider ring usually needs to be a bigger size to fit the same finger.
The issue here is that width and internal ring shape can greatly affect how a ring fits on the finger. The wider a ring is the more skin and body tissue it displaces and the tighter it will feel in comparison to a narrower ring.
Especially as some people develop arthritis, the wider the ring is the harder it can also be to pass over their knuckles. The internal shape of a ring can make a difference here in assisting the ring over the knuckles but it can also make the ring feel looser once on. Rounded internal edges, often referred to as comfort edges, can make rings feel looser than a ring without.
An email that I see time and time again
An example of an email I see all the time.
I often get told by customers that they know their finger size and want me to make their ring to that. They assure me that I do not need to go to any trouble measuring their finger size. All good they tell me……make the ring please.
Article: Why you should avoid resizing a new ring
Not all rings can be resized and those that can have a tolerance
Brazilian Fire Agate, this is the first time I have worked with this rare gem.
The trouble here is that in the case of rings that will not resize very well, or at all, if the size is wrong then the ring will have to be remade. This is a risk that I am not prepared to take unless customers agree to cover the remake cost. No surprise here that most customers are not prepared to take that risk once they know they will be paying …….after they chose to skip over a process that was included in the cost.
The above gem is one that I am going to use as an example. This is the first time I have ever worked with Brazilian Fire Agate. It appears to be very similar to Opal in that I expect it has a very high water component, will not take heat well and can fracture more readily under stress compared to gems such as diamonds.
My ring sizing system involves creating drafts that reflect the internal shape of the ring to be made. Based on how that draft feels on the hand I either alter that drafts size or make new ones until it fits just right.
We are going to make this ring with the Agate
The intended design for the Agate ring.
In the case of the Brazilian Fire Agate it was decided to set it into this design above. My first interaction with the customer was that they knew their finger was a size P “because they had it measured at a jewellery store.” The alarm bells are already going in my head but I know the customer is trying to make my job easier.
This design will not resize very well due to the shape of the top of the ring. The gem will also not take heat well and both can be an issue when resizing a ring. I informed the customer that the quote included the cost of my process for determining the perfect size for his finger and this design.
As I always do I also informed him that if he decided to skip that process and the size was wrong the cost to resize, or remake the ring if needed, would need to be paid my him. He decided to follow my process.
Sizing a customer over 1800 kilometres away.
A 20 hour drive from Cairns to my customer in Bangalow NSW.
My customer for the Agate ring is located in Bangalow NSW. I set about making a draft that replicated the internal shape of the ring made to a size P and express posted it off to the client to try on. I expected the size P draft to be the wrong size and I was right.
Freight bags are cheap compared to remaking a ring
The draft ready to send to Banagalow NSW.
Once the size draft arrived the customer emailed me that it was too small. The customer also informed me that he thought the ring was one size too small.
Here I have to remember that most people have no idea of what one size is. The next step was to send two more drafts, one a size bigger at Q and a second at size R.
Toto, I have a feeling we are not a size “P” anymore
When the second freight bag of drafts arrived I was once again informed that they were still two small. I again created more size drafts. This time three drafts, one a full size bigger, the second one and half sizes bigger with the final two sizes bigger .
You are a long way from size “P” Dorothy
This customer was not a size P but 4 sizes bigger at a T.
After those three sizers arrived the customer informed me that the largest one at a size T was the perfect fit. That is four sizes larger than the size P they initially assured me their finger size was.
Mockup of the ring to a size P. The red circle indicates the inner diameter of size T.
If I had made the ring to a size P and tried to resize that ring we would run the risk of damaging the Agate and more than likely would be unable to get the ring into a round shape. The red line in the above photo is the inner diameter of the required finger size in comparison to ring at size P
The head of the ring would not distort into the arc of that red circle readily without putting great pressure on the gem. The result would more than likely be an egg shaped ring….at best. The egg shaped ring would mean that it would fit poorly on the hand and also render any possibility of further resizing almost nil.
The finished ring
This ring turned out so nice. I love this gem but I do also have a love of that very similar gem, Queensland Boulder Opal.
When I am working on jobs I like to keep them flowing and move from one to the next. This enables me to stay current on every aspect of the job much more readily than having to refresh my memory about details after extended periods of waiting for a customer to reply.
This customer took long gaps to reply to messages and interact with the process. From the start to the finish of determining the finger size took about two months. Once I had confirmed the finger size I had the ring made in 3 days. I understand things come up in life but in the case of this job it was just the intended wearer of the ring not prioritising the process.
A bit of a twist…..the customer was not the recipient of the ring
And now I should tell you that my actual customer, the person who paid to have the ring made, lives in Cairns. He was wonderful and prompt with everything I needed. However he was making the ring not for himself but to give to a relative in Bangalow NSW.
In the end we avoided the disaster that making the ring to 4 sizes too small would have been. However in the future I need to make sure that customers (and the recipients of the jewellery) have the time and desire to commit to the process to get things right. If they can not then I would rather not make it. Two months is just way too long to sort out a finger size for me at this stage of my life.
That said, thank you so much to Peter who commissioned me to make this piece. You were wonderful to work with. Peter is already planning to make another piece……this time I hope for himself :)