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Finding the perfect fit for your engagement ring can be difficult. Sometimes, a ring is challenging to put on and take off, but once in place, it spins around and feels too loose.
What’s more, with the changes that fingers experience over the day, seasons, and years, chances are a ring that fits now can become too loose or too tight down the track.
There are many reasons this can happen and luckily there are steps you can take to sort these issues. Let’s take a look at how to tell if your ring fits properly and what to do if it doesn’t.
Your Ring is Too Tight
Here’s how to tell if your ring is too tight:
1. It’s difficult to remove the ring
While this can be a good thing, because it means your ring won’t slide off or spin around, it can be an indication that it’s too tight. If you need to remove the ring, use oil or soap and try to coax it out, or watch a YouTube video showing you how to take a stuck ring out.
There are heaps of them. However, note that if the ring feels tight only in the mornings or after you exercise, drink or travel, it’s likely normal as fingers can swell at these times.
2. Your skin bulges above the ring
If your skin is bulging above the ring, it’s a clear sign that the ring is too small. Your ring should be sitting comfortably on your finger, without causing it to appear swollen.
3. There’s an indentation on your finger
If you take your ring off and notice that there’s a permanent indentation on your finger, it’s highly likely that the ring is too tight and is squeezing the flesh beneath it.
4. You can’t turn the ring
Most rings should be able to turn on your finger slightly in either direction if you try to move it. If your ring is stubbornly holding its place, it’s probably too tight and not safe to wear.
5. Your finger hurts
If your finger hurts, you feel a pulsing sensation or you just can’t get your mind off the ring’s fit, then your ring is too tight and probably shouldn’t be worn.
Your Ring is Too Loose
If you aren’t sure if your ring is too loose, these signs should help.
1. Your ring spins too much
If your ring spins easily on your finger, it’s loose. This is a common problem that many ring wearers face and can be frustrating and really annoying. In addition to this, it can also be really painful if your ring spins to the side and you suddenly clench it.
2. It slides off easily
If your ring slides off too easily with no resistance at all, the ring is too loose for the finger. This can be dangerous because the chances of you losing the ring is high. It’s best to get it resized straightaway, as you may not even feel that it’s fallen off meaning you could lose your ring forever.
3. The ring slides over your knuckle without resistance
Most people have large knuckles and smaller fingers, which is why a ring can be hard to put on, but once over the knuckle, can feel loose and spin around. If the ring slides too easily over your knuckle, with no resistance, it’s too loose and should be resized.
4. Your ring snags on objects
A large ring tends to have a large gap between the finger and the metal. What can happen is that sometimes objects can get caught in this space, resulting in a snagged ring. If this happens, it not only can damage the ring but can also cause injury if the object that gets caught is sharp.
Factors That Make a Ring Feel Too Tight or Too Loose
Sometimes the problem isn’t the ring at all but the shape of your finger or external causes that result in the ring having a bad fit. Here are some ways this can happen:
1. Large Knuckles, Small Fingers
if you have petite, thin fingers but large knuckles, your rings will never fit comfortably. When choosing your ring size, you’d have to consider the knuckle, not the finger, which results in a loose-fitting ring but one that can slide over the knuckle with some resistance.
2. The Seasons and Temperature
yes, the seasons can affect how your ring fits your finger. In summer, when the weather is hot, our fingers tend to expand while in the cooler months, fingers tend to shrink. Naturally, a ring will feel tighter in summer than it does in winter.
3. Age
as we age, the knuckles tend to swell and get bigger, which makes it difficult to put on once perfectly fitting rings. Issues like arthritis can also contribute to this and you’ll have to get your rings resized.
What to Do If Your Ring Doesn’t Fit Properly
If your ring is showing one or more of the above issues, whether loose or tight, you might want to consider having it resized.
Most jewelers offer a one-time free resizing often within the first 30 days of purchase. Of course, this depends on the ring design and metal. Some metals, like tungsten or titanium, can be notoriously difficult to resize and the jeweler may not take the job on. Settings like channel, eternity, or tension can also be next to impossible to resize. Always ask prior to purchase whether the ring can be resized and if this is included in the cost. Try to get the measurement correctly the first time to avoid hassles down the track.
For some rings that are too loose, you might consider putting in a hinge so that it can be opened and closed around your finger. This is especially useful if you have a large knuckle or arthritic joint. Putting in a hinge for your ring can be costly, so it’s not worth doing this for a mediocre or unimportant ring but only on rings that are worth the money spent on them.
Alternatively, less expensive solutions for a loose ring include wearing a ring guard or putting in beads, plastic tubes, or wrapping something around the shank. We detail a list of solutions in this article that covers what to do about spinning rings.
