How should a wedding ring fit?

How tight should a wedding ring be?

Snug, but not tight. A ring that fits slides over the knuckle with a little friction, then sits comfortably at the base of the finger without spinning round on its own. It should stay put when you wash your hands and come off with a gentle twist.

Too tight shows as a ring you have to force over the knuckle, a deep red line when it comes off, or a finger that throbs by the evening. Too loose shows as a ring that turns all day, slides up to the knuckle when your hands are cold, or slips off with soap.

Ring size finder: Find your UK size at home.

Why the knuckle matters

For most people the knuckle is wider than the base of the finger, so the ring has to be big enough to pass over it and still sit snugly behind it. That is why a paper strip wrapped round the base of the finger can give a size that will not go on. Measuring a ring that already fits the same finger answers both at once.

How to find a ring size secretly: Measuring a ring they already wear.

Your fingers change size through the day

Fingers shrink in the cold and swell in the heat. Humidity and flying change them too. A ring that feels loose on a winter morning can feel snug on a summer afternoon. That is normal. It is why a ring that fits well is slightly loose when you are cold and slightly snug when you are warm.

Measure at room temperature, when you are neither cold nor hot. Measure more than once: the size you get most often is the one to trust.

UK ring size N: The middle of the range, with the half sizes either side.

Does a wide band fit differently?

Yes. A wide band covers more of the finger, so it feels snugger than a narrow ring at the same size. Measure with a ring or gauge about as wide as the band you are buying. A court profile, curved on the inside, also slips over the knuckle more easily than a flat inside.

Your dominant hand is usually about half a size larger, so measure the finger the ring will be worn on.

Band width guide: Every width side by side, with how each fits.

Wedding ring profiles explained: Court, D shape and flat: how each feels.

What happens if the ring does not fit?

Every ring is made to the size you give us. We confirm it with you before anything is made. Gold bands are the easiest to resize later. Titanium can be made a little larger and zirconium is made to size, so on those it pays to settle the size before you order.

Not sure how a width will look once it is on? The ring try-on draws any of our rings on a photo of your own hand.

Which rings can be resized: Resizing, metal by metal.

Ring try-on: See a ring on a photo of your hand.