How Tight Should A Man’s Wedding Band Be?
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Estimated read time:
18 minutesSo, you’ve popped the big question, they’ve said yes, and you’re edging towards what will likely be the happiest day of your lives.
The panic of wondering if they’ll accept your proposal is over, and it’s on to the exciting part – planning the wedding, writing out guest invites, and curating epic song lists that will surely keep your party going until the early hours of the morning.
But what about the rings?!
It’s a common job for the best man or person not to forget the rings before the ceremony, or let the dog eat them, or even worse, lose them entirely.
Hopefully, you’ll have picked the person that knows how to guard the rings with their life and keeps them well out of the way of the family pooch.
But a more important question you need to address is how tight your wedding band should be if you’re a man.
We’ve all seen the gags in the movies where the ring goes flying off the bride's or groom's finger like some bad omen for their future together.
That’s one scene you don’t want to have on your hands!
At Ben Garelick, we know all the tricks to size you up to perfection and ensure that ring isn’t going anywhere for as long as you have it.
To ensure you’re not left in the “dog-house” with a missing ring, we’ve put together a snappy guide for you to know how to make sure your wedding band fits as snug as Cinderella’s slipper.
Let’s get to it!
In this article...
- The basic rule
- How to size for different finger types?
- How to determine if your ring is too tight
- How to determine if your ring is too loose
- Can you determine how to fit your ring at home?
- String method
- Ring Fitting Kit
- What can affect how a finger fits over time?
- Weight fluctuation
- Humidity
- Time of day
- What should I do if my ring no longer fits comfortably?
TL;DR? Or got too much other wedding planning to get done?
No problem, let our team show you all you need to know about the wedding band fitting process in this video:
The basic rule
Think of how Goldilocks likes her porridge, you don’t want your wedding band to be too tight, but you don’t want it slipping and sliding all over the place; you want it to fit just right!
This is a piece of jewelry that is going to be wrapped around your finger for the rest of your life, so you want something comfortable yet easily removable should you need to keep it safe.
With the band of your choice, simply slide it over your knuckle, there should be little friction, and it should fit snuggly around the base of your finger.
It should not be tight, and there should still be a small amount of movement in the ring.
When sliding the ring off, there should be resistance as the band passes over the knuckle, but this should not cause you any discomfort.
Easy on, easy off but not so easy it goes flying across a room when you gesticulate!
How to size for different finger types?
No two of us are built the same, so you must consider your finger type, length, size, shape, and movement issues. All that jazz!
At Ben Garelick, we take the time to size up your wedding band precisely and ensure you get the most comfortable fit from whatever shape or material you choose.
The best way to determine what’s best for your finger is to come and visit us.
But generally, there are varying band sizes for men that are whittled down to three sizes, small, medium/mid-sized, and large/wider fit.
If you’ve got some long or thicker fingers, you’re best opting for the wider fit as this will have a better appearance on the overall size of the finger.
As might be expected, these bands come with a slightly elevated price point.
You are getting more ring for your buck, so this does make sense – if you want to save money, though, definitely hop on down to the store to make sure you get exactly what you need without the risk of paying extra and possibly having a ring that doesn’t fit quite right.
How to determine if your ring is too tight
Besides the fact that your wedding band won’t budge even the slightest bit, you’ll find yourself in significant discomfort if you’re wearing a ring that is too tight for the size of your finger.
You may notice discoloration in your finger from decreased blood circulation, leading to pain and loss of movement in the finger.
The ring will be difficult to remove, mainly if the tightness has caused swelling and may lead to you having to seek medical assistance to have it removed
We do not recommend forcing a wedding band that feels too small to fit.
Our experts will size your ring to the exact proportion you need for lengthy and comfortable wear, and should the shape or size of your finger change over time, you can always come back for a resizing later down the line!
How to determine if your ring is too loose
Remember those hilarious movie scenes we mentioned earlier where the wedding or engagement ring finds itself flying out of a window or hurtling down a street drain? – Yeah, that’s an excellent way to determine if your ring is too loose.
However, we suspect you’d rather avoid this altogether. So, here’s how you can determine if it’s too loose:
- Does the band move around when you move your hand?
- Does it slip over your knuckle with little to no resistance?
- Does it keep falling off your finger?
- If you push against one side of the ring, is there a significant gap between your finger and the band itself?
If you answer yes to any of the above, it looks like you’ve got yourself a loosey-goosey of a wedding band.
Best to get it re-sized or sized correctly, to begin with, and avoid the awkward conversation with your partner when you have to explain you “lost” your wedding ring.
Can you determine how to fit your ring at home?
Even though we’d love you to pop over to our store and spend an exquisite time picking out your perfect wedding band, we appreciate that not everyone has the time.
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Thankfully, some tremendous at-home methods do the trick just fine.
Of course, we’d always recommend getting an expert fitting to ensure everything fits accordingly.
Men’s ring sizes generally fall between the units of 8 and 14, which correlate with the mm circumference of the base of your finger.
Two methods are mega helpful as starting points, though:
String method
An easy-peasy method, grab a length of string and a marker pen, wrap the length of string around the base of your ring finger and mark off when the two pieces of string meet.
Use a ruler to measure the length, and hey presto, you’ve got yourself a wedding band size.
Men’s sizes are usually:
- 10 = 19.8mm
- 10.5 = 20.2mm
- 11 = 20.6mm
We must mention that due to the variety of different string materials available and how stretchy they are, you may not get the most accurate sizing - always opt for visiting a specialist in store to ensure the perfect fit.
Ring Fitting Kit
Purchasing a ring sizer measuring tool is a cost-effective method to sizing your finger ready for your wedding band.
Though, let us remind you that *cough cough* wedding band sizing is free at Ben Garelick!
BUT if you can’t make it to our store or you aren’t local, simply give us a call, and we will send you a free ring fitting kit to get measured up at home.
Our ring fitting kits come with the numbering for US men’s sizing and allow you to get an accurate band size for your purchase should you need to get one of our spectacular bands online rather than in-store.
What can affect how a finger fits over time?
There are many contributing factors as to why your ring might not fit how you expect over time, which is entirely normal.
We are humans. Don’t forget that many things make our bodies respond differently, and our fingers are super responsive to changes.
Here are some of the critical things to consider or note regarding your wedding band size.
Weight fluctuation
It’s entirely expected that your weight will fluctuate; you might lose, gain, stay the same or be up and down over the years.
After all, the band you choose is sitting on your finger for the rest of your life – that’s a long time for your weight to remain the same.
You may find that your ring feels tighter or looser at different stages in your life, and that’s okay.
If your weight fluctuation is long-term, pop back into the store to get your ring resized to fit your desired comfort.
If it’s less permanent, you may want to consider keeping your ring somewhere safe or potentially adding it to a chain that you could wear around your neck until your weight stabilizes and the band fits comfortably again.
Humidity
When we get too hot, our fingers can swell up. When we get too cold, they can seize up and feel skinnier.
When we are warm, our fingers swell because the blood supply pushes to the skin's surface, making us warmer and the heat also moves any water from our blood vessels into our finger tissues, making them more prominent.
If you’re feeling abnormally warm or have clammy hands, it may be best to wait to size your ring until your body temperature has regulated.
If you have an existing band, you may want to remove it and keep it somewhere safe when in the heat to avoid discomfort.
Likewise, when your fingers are cold, they contract, which makes them susceptible to slipping right off your finger.
Get your hands and fingers to room temperature before sizing up your band; this will get you the most accurate sizing for your finger's normal state
And be sure to keep your ring safe if it’s a freezing winter's day!
Time of day
For similar reasons, the time of day massively impacts how your wedding band will sit on your finger.
The top two points have a place in this – in the morning, we are generally warmer and more hydrated.
As the day goes on, we are exposed to different weather types, stresses, and strains, which may make our fingers change in size or feel different.
A mid-day fitting is recommended to get your fingers at their average size.
What should I do if my ring no longer fits comfortably?
You guessed it – get in touch with your jeweler!
It’s what we are here for and what we love to do.
There’s no point in investing in a brilliant piece of jewelry, especially a piece as important as your wedding band, for it to irritate you or make you feel uncomfortable.
We’re here to make that ring fit you as well as your partner fits you, and never put up with a wedding band that doesn’t bring you the joy it did the first day you slipped it on.
Depending on the material you have opted for, it is a relatively quick and easy process to get your ring sized up or down and if you’re not sure, ask.
Any knowledgeable jeweler and all the team at Ben Garelick will be able to advise on what is best for your specific set of circumstances.
The Takeaways
We hope that by the end of this read, you’re feeling far more confident about your choice for selecting your wedding band.
As a man, you might not be involved in all the wedding planning and decision-making, but this is one thing you can decide for yourself!
It’s important to remember that no one size fits all, and your fingers will change over time.
Understanding that you can get almost all ring materials resized is a comforting thought – so be sure to ask your jeweler if you are concerned that the band you’ve fallen in love with may not be able to do this.
You’ve got to pick a band that will make you beam from ear to ear simply by looking at it, so make sure you choose a size and design that suits your finger type, style, and personality.
But you don’t have to make all these decisions alone.
You’re in safe and capable hands with Ben Garelick, so why not come over to our Buffalo, NY store today.
Not nearby? Not to worry - chat with our diamond and wedding band experts online 24/7, call us on (716) 631-1584, or text (716) 574-0966.
Let’s get you the perfect fitting wedding band!
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