Engagement rings are one of the most important pieces of jewelry. They symbolize your love and commitment to your partner, so getting them right is essential. Naturally, that includes the size. So, what’s the proper fit for an engagement ring? How tight should the engagement ring be? And how loose?
If you’ve been stressing out about that, we’re about to let you in on how much space there should be between your engagement or promise ring and your finger so you can make sure you have the perfect fit. All you need to do is keep reading to find out.
How Tight Should Engagement Ring Be: The Short Answer
An engagement ring should be snug enough that it doesn’t slide right off your finger but not so tight that it pinches and requires significant effort for you to take it off.
In other words, your new ring should be able to slide over your knuckle with ease. It should also be able to rest on the root of your finger firmly enough that you can feel the ring’s metal against all areas of your skin, yet it shouldn’t cause your finger to feel cramped or pinched anywhere.
That way, it’s tight enough that you know it won’t easily fall off but loose enough that when you tug on it, it slips right off without any resistance.
How Tight or Loose Should Your Engagement Ring Be?
So, now that we know the proper ring fit is one that’s not too tight and not too loose, how tight or how loose should it be to achieve that?
As a general rule, most jewelers suggest that a ring should fit firmly around the base of your finger without leaving visible indentations.
To check if it fits correctly, pushes your ring up from the bottom: there should be just a little gap between your ring and your finger.
If you feel pressure on any part of your finger, or if it pinches you anywhere and it’s impossible to push the ring up from underneath without bending the tip of your finger or causing visible indentations on your knuckle, then your ring is too tight.
The same goes for if the ring slips right off your finger when you push at it from underneath – that means it’s too loose.
An ideal fit feels just comfortable enough that you don’t need to think about it while you have it on.
Should a Ring Feel Tight or Loose?
Neither – your ring should fit just right—not too tight and not too loose. The whole point of the ring is that it should be comfortable enough to keep on all day.
So, the goal of the fit is to find a ring that fits perfectly good around your finger but is not so tight you can’t stand it or so lose you have to keep adjusting it.
If it feels too tight, you can take it to a jeweler and have some of the silver or gold shaved off. If it feels too loose, you could either get the ring resized or get another ring that fits tighter.
A tight ring will cut off your circulation, while an extremely loose one can easily fall off, so it’s best to avoid both scenarios.
How Loose Is Too Loose Engagement Ring?
When a ring slips over the knuckle without resistance, that’s usually a loose ring. The reason is that your knuckle is typically larger than the base of your ring finger, while the tip of your finger is smaller than the base, especially if you have small fingers.
So if a ring doesn’t have any resistance when you place it over your large knuckles – that is, if it can slide past the knuckles easily without catching or stopping at the joint – then this probably means that it’s too large to be worn on your finger.
You’ll also find that when the ring is past the knuckle, it’ll spin freely on your finger and end up spinning around on its own. While a loose ring may seem cute and feel good initially, it’s actually a sign that the ring is too large for you and you need a more snug fit.
How Should an Engagement Ring Fit? Expert Tips for Choosing the Right Ring Size
Okay, so now you know how to tell if your wedding ring fits correctly (see silicone wedding rings, too). But are there some guidelines that can help you decide which size the right fit for your finger is? Of course! Here are some quick tips to help you.
- You should be able to slip the ring on and off your finger without any help from anyone else.
- Without any gaps between it and your skin (or if there are gaps, they should be barely visible), your ring should fit flush against your finger.
- The ring shouldn’t fit too tightly to the extent that it’ll leave noticeable indent marks where the metal dug into your skin.
- If you need to use a tissue or soft cloth to get the ring off, you have a tighter fit than average, and that’s not the correct fit.
- If the ring spins on its own when you hold it horizontally about 1-2 inches from your face with your palm facing up, then definitely take it into a jeweler to have it resized.
- A ring that sits too high, with the bottom of it sitting right on top of your knuckle, is most likely too small and needs to be resized.
- A ring that sits too low, almost like it’s sliding off your finger, is probably too big and needs to be resized.
- A ring that feels bulky around your finger or makes you constantly aware of its weight on your hand is probably not the right fit (depending on the ring style).
- An engagement ring should sit on the root of your finger, where the bone ends and the fleshy part begins. There should be a slight gap between your skin and the bottom of the ring, which will allow it to breathe. Sitting without any room to spare is a huge no-no.
All in all, the best way to determine if your ring’s fit is right is to keep it on for a few minutes. If you’re constantly adjusting the size, that’s an indication that you need to go up or down a size. If it fits comfortably, you’re good.
You should be able to forget that you’re even wearing a ring – that’s when you know you have the perfect ring fit. That applies to wedding bands, engagement rings, and even regular jewelry rings.
How to Know Your Finger Size
If you’re planning to get married but don’t yet have an engagement ring, you might be wondering what your engagement ring size is in the meantime to guarantee that the ring fits just right.
Here’s something that’s bound to come in handy as a ring sizer: take a makeup sponge or cotton ball and place it inside your current ring (if it’s loose, tape the ends of the cotton ball or sponge).
Place your finger inside, with the ring sitting right where it’d be if you had an engagement ring on. Mark the spot where the edges meet with a pen. Cut out the piece of cotton or sponge, measure it with a ruler (mm), and use your measurement to find your ring size in the chart below (see also ‘Average Engagement Ring Diamond Size‘).
If you don’t have a current ring to measure, wrap string or paper around the base of your finger. Using a pen, mark a line where the ends meet and measure the string or paper with a ruler (mm). Use this measurement to choose the closest measurement on the ring size chart of your chosen jeweler.
Alternatively, if you’re not determined to find the ring size out yourself, you could always go to a jewelry store. A professional jeweler would have sizing tools designed to measure your finger, and they’ll be able to present you with the correct measurement of what ring sizing you should go for. That way, you’ll end up with the perfect fit every time.
The Right Tightness For Your Ring: The Bottom Line
That’s all there is to it! Now you know the right way to check if an engagement ring fit is too big or too small for your finger shape. That can apply to your wedding band, too.
To recap, when you wear your engagement ring, it should fit snug on your finger, so it doesn’t fall off, but not tightly to the extent that it cuts off circulation or leaves a mark. It shouldn’t spin around easily, either. So, if your ring slides and spins whenever you wear it, that’s not good, and if your fingers swell after wearing your ring, that’s a red flag.
With the perfect fit, you’ll feel like your ring is a part of you – that it belongs there. It’ll never feel heavy or uncomfortable. It should fit perfectly and feel natural on your finger without causing you issues in the long run. Lastly, if you read our previous posts, we also shed more light on some of the best engagement rings for women out there, which all come with a high price-to-quality ratio.