Anyone who is studying the world of wedding and engagement jewelry for the first time will want to establish a baseline for price, style, material and source. But what about whether it will actually fit on your finger?

Ring sizing seems custom fit for confusion. A size 8 ring in the United States is an 18 in Germany, a 16 in Japan and a Q in the United Kingdom. In all those places, it can be a difficult ring for women to try on in the store because jewelers all over the world often don’t keep it in stock. As for plus sizes (usually categorized as U.S. size 10 and above for women), forget about it. Modern Gents offers the full range of U.S. standard sizes so you don’t have to pull out a map or check inventory — but, unfortunately, more ring sizing challenges still await.

Finger size fluctuates slightly from day to day and dramatically from season to season. Because hot days, salty meals, pregnancy and arthritis all have their hands on the dial that controls the diameter of your digits, there isn’t necessarily a “perfect fit.” Even if you could arrive at a stable measurement for the part of the finger where the ring is going to sit, you still have to account for variables like the knuckles.

To top all of this off, the person who is buying an engagement ring might be trying to do it on the sly, which makes the process that much more daunting. Say some helpful co-conspirators, like roommates or siblings, manage to snag a bit of heirloom jewelry she wears on the ring finger of her right hand. Guess what? Finger size can vary from dominant to non-dominant hands, so there’s still going to be a certain amount of guesswork involved. But don’t despair. We are here to help you vault over all your ring sizing obstacles! It’s our pleasure to answer questions about how a ring should fit or whether men’s and women’s sizes are the same.

Working with an experienced jeweler in person is the best path to an accurate ring size, but here are some handy tips for at home measurements that only require a pen, a string and a ruler. It’s a good idea to make sure the finger isn’t unusually swollen and to get measured in the morning or afternoon. Once you jot down your measurement, you can consult the ring size chart above. It’s generally a better idea to size up rather than down, but here are a few pros and cons for going in either direction. 

We recognize that finding the right size can seem intimidating. That’s why Modern Gents backs our entire ring collection with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and pairs that with a 60-day exchange policy. Not only can you relax a little bit about getting that elusive “perfect fit,” but you have the option to order a few different sizes for comparison. And because we know that engagement rings are symbols of a lifelong commitment, we offer a lifetime guarantee.

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