Findingyour size
Indian ring sizes, bangle diameters and chain lengths — with a way to measure at home using a strip of paper and a ruler.
Measure at the end of the day, on the hand you will wear the piece on. Fingers are at their smallest first thing in the morning and in cold weather, and a ring sized then will be loose by evening.
1. Ring sizes
We size rings to the Indian standard, which is what a jeweller in India will quote. Each size is 0.4 mm wider across than the one below it.
| Indian size | Inside diameter | Circumference | US (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 15.6 mm | 49.0 mm | 5 |
| 10 · | 16.4 mm | 51.5 mm | 6 |
| 12 · | 17.2 mm | 54.0 mm | 7 |
| 14 · | 18.0 mm | 56.6 mm | 8 |
| 16 · | 18.8 mm | 59.1 mm | 9 |
| 18 · | 19.6 mm | 61.6 mm | 10 |
| 20 · | 20.4 mm | 64.1 mm | 11 |
| 22 | 21.2 mm | 66.6 mm | 12 |
US sizes are given for reference only. The two scales do not meet on whole numbers, so order by the Indian size or by the measurement.
2. Measuring at home
From a ring that already fits
The most reliable method, because the ring has already proved itself. Lay it on a ruler and measure straight across the inside edge, not the outside. Match that figure to the diameter column above.
From your finger
- Cut a strip of paper about 5 mm wide and 90 mm long. Paper, not thread — thread stretches and will read a size too small.
- Wrap it round the base of the finger, snug but not tight. It has to pass over the knuckle, so check it slides off without a fight.
- Mark where the strip overlaps, unwrap it, and measure to the mark in mm.
- That figure is the circumference. Find it in the third column above.
If you land between two sizes, take the larger. A ring slightly loose can be tightened; one that will not pass the knuckle cannot be worn at all.
3. Bangles & bracelets
Indian bangle sizes read as inches and eighths: 2.4 is two and four-eighths of an inch — two and a half inches — measured across the inside.
| Size | Inside diameter | In centimetres |
|---|---|---|
| 2.2 | 2¼" | 5.7 cm |
| 2.4 · | 2½" | 6.4 cm |
| 2.6 · | 2¾" | 7.0 cm |
| 2.8 · | 3" | 7.6 cm |
| 2.10 · | 3¼" | 8.3 cm |
To measure: press your thumb to your little finger as if putting a bangle on, and wrap a paper strip round the widest part of that shape. Divide the length in mm by 3.14 to get the diameter you need.
A bangle with no opening has to clear the knuckles of a folded hand, so it is always wider than the wrist. An openable kada or a chain bracelet is measured at the wrist instead.
4. Chains & necklaces
Length is measured end to end with the clasp closed, laid flat.
| Length | In centimetres | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| 16" | 41 cm | At the base of the neck — a choker length |
| 18" | 46 cm | On the collarbone. The length most pendants are made for |
| 20" | 51 cm | Just below the collarbone |
| 22" | 56 cm | On the chest, over a kurta or a high neckline |
To check before ordering, cut a piece of string to the length, tie it, and hang it round your neck in front of a mirror.
5. Getting it right
- Wide bands run small. A band over 6 mm across sits on more of the finger and feels tighter. Go up one Indian size.
- Knuckles decide. If the knuckle is much larger than the base of the finger, size to the knuckle and expect a little movement below it.
- The hands differ. The dominant hand is usually half a size larger. Measure the one the ring will live on.
- Weather counts. Fingers swell in heat and humidity and shrink in the cold — a real difference in an Indian summer.
- Do not measure over a plaster or a swollen joint. Wait, and measure the finger as it usually is.
6. If it does not fit
Tell us and we will put it right. Plain and lightly set bands can be resized; eternity rings set all the way round, and pieces with stones set into the shoulders, usually cannot be — those we remake at the correct size instead.
Bangles are made to a diameter and cannot be opened out, so a wrong size is exchanged rather than altered. Chains can be shortened, and lengthened with a matching extender.
Write to [email protected] or call +91 93113 39022 and we will arrange it. Our hallmarking policy covers what happens to the mark when a piece is resized — the purity does not change, and the piece is re-marked where the original stamp is lost.
Not sure before you buy? Book an appointment and we will size you against a proper ring stick, which beats any paper strip.