Written by Sameer
Reviewed on
The size chart
Jewellers in Pakistan use the same numbered sizes as India. The US and UK columns are rounded to the nearest half size, and you will find tiny differences between one jeweller's gauge and another's. That is normal.
| Pakistani / Indian size | US size | UK size | Inner diameter (mm) | Circumference (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | C½ | 13.1 | 41 |
| 2 | 2 | D½ | 13.4 | 42 |
| 3 | 2.5 | E | 13.7 | 43 |
| 4 | 3 | F | 14.0 | 44 |
| 5 | 3.5 | F½ | 14.3 | 45 |
| 6 | 3.5 | G½ | 14.6 | 46 |
| 7 | 4 | H½ | 15.0 | 47 |
| 8 | 4.5 | I | 15.3 | 48 |
| 9 | 5 | J | 15.6 | 49 |
| 10 | 5.5 | J½ | 15.9 | 50 |
| 11 | 5.5 | K½ | 16.2 | 51 |
| 12 | 6 | L½ | 16.6 | 52 |
| 13 | 6.5 | M | 16.9 | 53 |
| 14 | 7 | N | 17.2 | 54 |
| 15 | 7.5 | N½ | 17.5 | 55 |
| 16 | 7.5 | O½ | 17.8 | 56 |
| 17 | 8 | P½ | 18.1 | 57 |
| 18 | 8.5 | Q | 18.5 | 58 |
| 19 | 9 | R | 18.8 | 59 |
| 20 | 9 | R½ | 19.1 | 60 |
| 21 | 9.5 | S½ | 19.4 | 61 |
| 22 | 10 | T½ | 19.7 | 62 |
| 23 | 10.5 | U | 20.1 | 63 |
| 24 | 11 | V | 20.4 | 64 |
| 25 | 11 | V½ | 20.7 | 65 |
| 26 | 11.5 | W½ | 21.0 | 66 |
| 27 | 12 | X | 21.3 | 67 |
| 28 | 12.5 | Y | 21.6 | 68 |
| 29 | 12.5 | Z | 22.0 | 69 |
| 30 | 13 | Z½ | 22.3 | 70 |
Want a paper copy? Print this page from your browser; the whole table fits on a single sheet.
Measuring at home
Option 1: a strip of paper or a piece of string
- Cut a narrow strip of paper, or take a piece of string that doesn't stretch.
- Wrap it round the base of the finger where the ring will sit. Snug, but loose enough to slide over the knuckle.
- Mark with a pen where the end overlaps.
- Lay it flat along a ruler and read off the length in millimetres. That's your circumference.
- Find the closest circumference in the chart. If you land between two sizes, take the bigger one.
Option 2: a ring you already wear
- Pick a ring that fits the same finger comfortably.
- Rest it on a ruler and measure straight across the inside, edge to edge, at the widest point, in millimetres.
- Look that number up in the inner diameter column.
Nothing beats a jeweller's ring gauge or mandrel for accuracy. If there's a jeweller down the road, a two-minute fitting is time well spent.
Getting it right
- Measure in the evening. Fingers swell a little later in the day and in hot weather, and shrink in the cold. Karachi summers make a difference.
- Measure three times. Average the three readings.
- Think about the knuckle. If your knuckle is a lot wider than the base of the finger, choose a size that will get over the knuckle, and consider asking for sizing beads inside the band.
- Wide bands sit tighter. For anything wider than about 6 mm, go up by half a size to a full size.
- Measure the hand you'll use. Your dominant hand is often a touch bigger, so measure the hand that will actually wear the ring.
- Men's aqeeq rings go on the little finger. By custom, a man's aqeeq ring is worn on the little finger, so measure that one. Our aqeeq for men guide explains more.
Sizing a ring with a stone in it
A big stone set high, or a heavy silver ring, will spin round the finger if it's loose. So a gemstone ring wants a snugger fit than a plain band. If you are buying a loose stone for your own jeweller to set, give the jeweller your size before work starts, so the ring is made to size instead of being stretched or cut later. Stretching a ring that already holds a stone can loosen the setting, and a softer stone can crack.
Which stone suits a ring
Hard stones like sapphire and ruby are happy in a ring you never take off, and aqeeq is a tough, traditional choice. Softer stones such as feroza do better in a bezel setting and should come off for washing. Send us your ring size on WhatsApp along with the stone you're looking at, and we'll tell you whether its size and shape will sit well on your finger.
References
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