Sizing Jewelry for Someone Else Without Asking
FIT
A traced ring and a watch strap tell you most of what a tape measure would.
The hardest part of buying a ring or a bracelet as a gift is the number you cannot ask for. Asking gives the surprise away, and guessing from a hand across a dinner table is how rings end up a size and a half out. There are better ways to get the number, and all of them use something the wearer already owns.
Rings: Borrow One for Ten Minutes
Find a ring she already wears on the same finger you are buying for, since fingers on the same hand differ by two or three sizes. Set it on a sheet of paper and trace the inside of the band with a sharp pencil, keeping the pencil upright. Measure the widest part of the circle in millimeters, then compare it to a printed ring size chart, which gives the inside diameter for each US size. A 17 millimeter inside diameter is a US 6 and a half, for example, and each half size moves the diameter by about 0.4 millimeters.
If there is no ring to borrow, a photo of her hand holding something of known size, such as a credit card or a coin, lets you estimate the finger width against it. That method is good to within a size, so when it puts you between two, take the larger. A ring that is slightly loose can be worn; a ring that does not pass the knuckle cannot.
Bracelets: Read the Watch Strap
A watch she wears regularly is a measuring tape she has already filled in. Unbuckle it, note which hole the buckle uses, and measure from the inside of the buckle to that hole, along the strap. That length is her wrist. A chain bracelet with a clasp is worn about half an inch longer than the wrist so it moves; a cuff needs only the wrist measurement, since it adjusts at the back. Every chain bracelet we stock has an extender, so a measurement that is half an inch off either way is covered.
Necklaces: The Extender Does the Work
Necklaces are the forgiving category, and the reason we point gift buyers toward them when nothing is known. A 16 inch chain sits at the base of the neck, 18 inches rests on the collarbone, and 20 inches falls to the top of the chest. With an extender, one chain covers two of those positions, and the wearer chooses where it sits on the day. The one thing worth checking is neckline: a pendant that falls under a high collar is never seen, so for someone who wears crew necks and turtlenecks, the shorter length is the safer choice.
When the Guess Is Still Wrong
Sometimes it is. A ring arrives and stops at the knuckle, or a bracelet hangs over the hand. The fix is an exchange, which costs nothing in either direction: the replacement ships, a prepaid label is emailed for the original, and the recipient can handle it herself without the buyer ever knowing the size was off. The steps are in our Return & Refund Policy.
Thank you for shopping with us, whether the piece is for you or for someone you have in mind.