Ring fit / sizing question

[tailster]

I ordered my ring (first time ever wearing one, real beginner here) in a 59 and came to find out on my wedding day it’s just too big. Not sure if my hands were just swollen on the day I tried them on or what, but I absolutely need to go down a couple sizes. Before I get it resized (first one free from Cartier), I thought it would be prudent to figure out my ring size so I don’t have to get it resized more than once.

To this end, I ordered a few cheap steel ones off Amazon to wear around to figure this out. Both the 56 and 57 fit my finger. After coming in from the cold, I can shake the 57 off my finger with some effort (won’t slip off, requires a good shaking), while the 56 is on there good. In the morning however when I wake up (aka hand swollen) the 56 definitely takes some work to get off, while the 57 fits more comfortably (neither are ever uncomfortable). Having never worn a ring before, I’m not positive which to go with. The ring will rarely, if ever, be coming off, and I don’t want to lose it while swimming or something similar.

So the real question is: how should a ring fit? Do you prefer slightly tighter or looser?

 

[Kim N]

Is it nearing winter where you are now? If so, I might wait until the summer months to resize when your fingers may swell from the heat. If you don't want to wait, I would go with the 57.

 

[MissGotRocks]

It also depends on if you are wearing an engagement ring and a wedding band. Sometimes each of those rings ground one another while on their own, they fit a bit differently. Do you wear two rings together?

 

[tailster]

Is it nearing winter where you are now? If so, I might wait until the summer months to resize when your fingers may swell from the heat. If you don't want to wait, I would go with the 57.

It is nearing winter (in Boston, current highs are around 50F). In general, is it advisable to size a ring to loosest or tightest (no swelling vs swollen) it’ll be?

 

[tailster]

It also depends on if you are wearing an engagement ring and a wedding band. Sometimes each of those rings ground one another while on their own, they fit a bit differently. Do you wear two rings together?

Just one ring so no complexity on that front.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Just one ring so no complexity on that front.

Ok, so you are just focused on the band. There should be uniformity in ring sizes but I sometimes think that is not the case. Top heavy rings spin more than a band, sometimes you can wear a thinner band smaller than you can a thicker one, etc. If I were having Cartier size the ring, I would want to go to their store and use their ring sizers. If this isn’t possible, I would download their ring sizer from their website to use as a guide too. At least you should be able to get their true size guide from them to determine what size you need. I wouldn’t do the 56 if it is tight in the morning; it may be that tight all day on a summer day. The 57 sounds more reasonable and doesn’t sound like it would easily fall off. Swimming is something else again - your fingers can shrivel a bit in water making rings loose. My son lost his wedding band in the ocean and wasn’t even aware it had fallen off until he was out of the water. Hard to find that perfect size for all situation!

 

[Lookinagain]

I'd wait until summer if it were me. I wouldn't base it on the fit when you wake up. I'm in Boston too and right now, when I wake up, my rings are tighter (not uncomfortable) but as I'm up, they are a bit loose. And fit fine in the summer but my fingers don't really get much larger then. Maybe less than a 1/4 of a size. But also may depend on the width of the band. The wider may make it tighter if your fingers swell at all. Again, I'd wait until summer if you can. Then try both and see which works.

 

[Avondale]

I personally prefer it looser.

When I was ordering my wedding band back in the day, I chose to go with tighter because I was afraid of the very same thing - losing it. I have a friend who lost his wedding band taking his glove off in winter. But as a result I've been wearing it a lot less and have now come to the point where I'm considering taking it in to be sized from its current 52 to a more comfortable 54. In time I just learned that having a tight ring on my finger really bothers me.

I like a ring to fit me comfortably without squeezing my finger. Sure, in this case I can most definitely get it off through 15 seconds of vigorous hand shaking, but when am I ever going to do that unintentionally in my daily life? So if I were in your shoes, I'd go with 57, if it had to happen now.

If it doesn't have to happen now, I'd most definitely wait until summer. 2 sizes in the European system is only one size in the US one, and that's not a lot. Your finger can easily vary that much, depending on ambient temperature.

Furthermore, there's a slight difference in size between your dominant and your other hand, with the fingers on the dominant being slightly larger. You can rotate your wedding band from your left to your right hand however you please and accommodate for the size differences this way.

Oh, and I would most definitely take it off when swimming. It's better to keep it safe and wear it 98% of the time than risk it in order to wear it 100% of the time.

 

[tailster]

If I were having Cartier size the ring, I would want to go to their store and use their ring sizers. If this isn’t possible, I would download their ring sizer from their website to use as a guide too. At least you should be able to get their true size guide from them to determine what size you need.

My plan was to find a ring that fits me well and just bring that along with me to the store to have them size the ring to match, verifying by trying on a matching size at the store as well. I may just do as suggested and wear the 57 and 56 around for a while (perhaps until summer) before making a decision. My only hesitation is that the spacer on my ring is a bit uncomfortable (one of the plastic / silicone ones), and I hate not being able to wear my own ring around. Appreciate all the replies so far!