Ring size
Encyclopedia
There are several systems for denoting the sizes of jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...

 rings
Ring (jewellery)
A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewelry around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings....

 in use around the world:
  • The ISO
    International Organization for Standardization
    The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...

     standard for ring sizes is ISO 8653:1986, which defines standard ring sizes in terms of the inner circumference
    Circumference
    The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. Circumference is a special perimeter.-Circumference of a circle:The circumference of a circle is the length around it....

     of the ring measured in millimetres.
  • In the United States
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

     and Canada
    Canada
    Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

    , ring sizes are specified using a numerical scale, with quarter and half sizes. An increase of a full size is an increase of 0.032 inch (0.8128 mm) in diameter, or roughly 1/10 inch (more precisely, 0.1005 in or 2.55 mm) in inside circumference.
  • In Ireland
    Ireland
    Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

    , the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

     and Australia
    Australia
    Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

    , ring sizes are specified using an alphabetical scale, with half sizes.
  • In India
    India
    India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

    , Japan
    Japan
    Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

     and China
    China
    Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

    , ring sizes are specified using a numerical scale, that only has whole sizes, and does not have simple linear
    Linear
    In mathematics, a linear map or function f is a function which satisfies the following two properties:* Additivity : f = f + f...

     correlation with diameter or circumference.
  • In Austria
    Austria
    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

    , Belgium
    Belgium
    Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

    , France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

    , Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

    , Belgium
    Belgium
    Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

     and Scandinavia
    Scandinavia
    Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

    , ring sizes are specified using actual internal circumference in mm (the same as the ISO standard). In some countries, half sizes may be used.
  • In Italy
    Italy
    Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

    , Spain
    Spain
    Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

    , Netherlands
    Netherlands
    The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

    , and Switzerland
    Switzerland
    Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

    , ring sizes are specified as the circumference minus 40mm. A 50 in Germany will be a 10 in Switzerland.


Generally, sizes in US quarters and halves will not relate conventionally to anything on any known ruler. Also, on one finger alone a person may vary more than a whole ring size, depending on time of day, work performed, and other swelling-inducing activities/conditions. Therefore, in most cases quarter-sizes are meaningless unless one needs precise accuracy with a particular ring.

Conversion chart for ring sizes

Inside diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...

Inside circumference
Circumference
The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. Circumference is a special perimeter.-Circumference of a circle:The circumference of a circle is the length around it....

Sizes
(in) (mm) (in) (mm) United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...


and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

,
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

,
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

,
China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

,
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

0.459 11.63 1.44 36.5 0
0.466 11.84 1.46 37.2 ¼
0.474 12.04 1.49 37.8 ½ A
0.482 12.24 1.51 38.5 ¾
0.49 12.45 1.54 39.1 1 B 1
0.498 12.65 1.56 39.7
0.506 12.85 1.59 40.4 C
0.514 13.06 1.61 41.0
0.522 13.26 1.64 41.7 2 D 2 1.5
0.53 13.46 1.67 42.3
0.538 13.67 1.69 42.9 E 3 2.75
0.546 13.87 1.72 43.6
0.554 14.07 1.74 44.2 3 F 4 4
0.562 14.27 1.77 44.8 5 5.25
0.57 14.48 1.79 45.5 G
0.578 14.68 1.82 46.1 6 6.5
0.586 14.88 1.84 46.8 4 H 7
0.594 15.09 1.87 47.4 7.75
0.602 15.29 1.89 48.0 I 8
0.61 15.49 1.92 48.7 J 9
0.618 15.70 1.94 49.3 5 9
0.626 15.90 1.97 50.0 K 10
0.634 16.10 1.99 50.6 10
0.642 16.31 2.02 51.2 L 11.75
0.65 16.51 2.04 51.9 6 11 12.75
0.658 16.71 2.07 52.5 M 12
0.666 16.92 2.09 53.1 13 14
0.674 17.12 2.12 53.8 N
0.682 17.32 2.14 54.4 7 14 15.25
0.69 17.53 2.17 55.1 O
0.698 17.73 2.19 55.7 15 16.5
0.706 17.93 2.22 56.3 P
0.714 18.14 2.24 57.0 8 16 17.75
0.722 18.34 2.27 57.6 Q
0.73 18.54 2.29 58.3 17
0.738 18.75 2.32 58.9 R 19
0.746 18.95 2.34 59.5 9 18
0.754 19.15 2.37 60.2 S 20.25
0.762 19.35 2.39 60.8 19
0.77 19.56 2.42 61.4 T 21.5
0.778 19.76 2.44 62.1 10 20
0.786 19.96 2.47 62.7 10¼ U 21
0.794 20.17 2.49 63.4 10½ 22 22.75
0.802 20.37 2.52 64.0 10¾ V
0.81 20.57 2.54 64.6 11 23
0.818 20.78 2.57 65.3 11¼ W 25
0.826 20.98 2.59 65.9 11½ 24
0.834 21.18 2.62 66.6 11¾ X
0.842 21.39 2.65 67.2 12 25 27.5
0.85 21.59 2.67 67.8 12¼ Y
0.858 21.79 2.70 68.5 12½ Z 26 28.75
0.866 22.00 2.72 69.1 12¾
0.874 22.20 2.75 69.7 13 27
0.882 22.40 2.77 70.4 13¼ Z1
0.89 22.61 2.80 71.0 13½
0.898 22.81 2.82 71.7 13¾ Z2
0.906 23.01 2.85 72.3 14 Z3
0.914 23.22 2.87 72.9 14¼
0.922 23.42 2.90 73.6 14½ Z4
0.93 23.62 2.92 74.2 14¾
0.938 23.83 2.95 74.8 15
0.946 24.03 2.97 75.5 15¼
0.954 24.23 3.00 76.1 15½
0.962 24.43 3.02 76.8 15¾
0.97 24.64 3.05 77.4 16

Finger sizing

Ring size is not the same as finger size. A professional jeweler can determine proper ring size using a set of steel gauge-rings. These "ring sizers" come in narrow and wide widths. Thin width ring sizers are for either men or women who plan to choose a narrower ring 7 millimeters or thinner. Wider ring sizers are best for either men or women who are selecting a ring with a shank 8 millimeters or wider. Fingers change over the course of the day due to diet or work affecting the results of gauge rings.

Other methods, such as measuring the finger with a strip of paper, or slipping the finger through pre-cut "measuring holes," are inaccurate. It has been recommended that fingers be measured at the end of the day, when they are at their largest diameters. Existing fitted rings can also be measured for increased accuracy. Other factors that can affect ring size include: the menstrual cycle, temperature, humidity, water retention, and exercise.

The best strategy for measurement is to purchase calipers that measure inside diameters. A tightly-calipered measurement should then be taken of various rings that fit; these should be noted and the corresponding size recorded. The mandrel, the tapered ring-measuring rod, should be regarded as only half-accurate. Different jewelers will employ the mandrel in different ways. For instance, one jeweler may use the mandrel and take an edge-of-the-ring reading; others will take the measure that corresponds to the largest finger the ring can fit. There is not a separate mandrel for men or women ring measurements.

It is best for the consumer to know and be firm about finger dimensions, because every jeweler or ring seller will think his or her method is the "best" ring-measuring method. It has often been suggested that the industry universally standardize on using inner diameter (the diameter of the finger) as the only size-number method of determination.

A wider band can be worn more loosely. Large knuckles/hands should wear a slightly loose ring, while slimmer knuckles/smaller hands will require a tighter ring. Some rings can be re-sized, but many cannot. Rings made of titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....

 or tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...

steel, stone-set rings with complicated or precise mountings, and extremely thin or wide rings cannot be re-sized.

A good way for a "rough-and-ready" measurement is to find a ring that is just smaller than the second knuckle of the finger. This way the fit is comfortable but will not slide off the finger. The method of trying on a ring and shaking the hand violently, to see if the ring comes off, is inadvisable and not very accurate.

Furthermore, every ring size chart will vary slightly in its standards. This always occurs unless one company has copied another company's size chart. Even the ISO, ringsmiths, and jewelers use different sizing standards, assigning different numbers to the same measurements. On one chart a diameter of 20.65mm may equal a size 10; on another chart, a similar number, such as 20.62mm, may read out as size 10. It is wise to keep all of the above firmly in mind when ring shopping.

If ordering from catalog or internet, always demand that the seller provide the inner diameter of a ring.

Online Ring Sizer

There are many ways to determine ring size online. Some have a ring-sizing chart to print out; others match a ring to a certain size on the user's display.. . Other methods require the user to print a sizer and measure his own finger, but this method does not guarantee good results at all. The user, by applying more tension alone, can get two or three sizes' difference, or more.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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