It’s the Cinderella moment: she says yes and the ring slips on to her finger like it’s made for her. That’s why one of the most important things to get right when you buy a surprise engagement ring is the ring size. If the ring is too small, she won’t be able to wear it and show it off to your friends and family. Too big and it can easily slip off her finger and be lost forever. Just ask Megan Fox: she lost her three-carat diamond engagement ring on a beach in Hawaii right after Brian Austin Green proposed. So how do you get the size just right? No worries: we’ve got five tips to find out her ring size so the ring slips onto her finger effortlessly and stays there forever.
Get A Clue
Start paying attention. Chances are she’s trying to give you some help! Most women know that something is in the works and they start to leave hints. When you are shopping together, does she try on rings at a kiosk in the mall? Are there magazines with corners turned down or pages left open to ring photos? Channel your inner Sherlock Holmes and get to work!
Borrow One Of Her Rings
Does she sometimes wear a ring on the ring finger of her right hand? You are in luck! Chances are pretty good it’s the same size as her left. Borrow it and take it to a jeweler to be sized. You can also have a female friend or relative try it on for size. If she wears it all the time, here is a quick way to get the size on the sly that only requires a pen! Try her ring on one of your fingers. Slide it down until it feels snug but not too tight. Draw a mark on the finger on both sides. Then head to a jewelry store and try on rings until you find one that is the same size.
If the pen-on-your-finger method doesn’t work, here are two more good ways to measure the size of one of her rings. You can press her ring into clay: a jeweler should be able to tell the size from the impression. Or you can get a good estimate by comparing her ring to a printed-out size guide or a ring from a friend or sister who might be the same size.
Take Her Shopping
This requires a higher level of devious tradecraft. First, you’ll need a plausible gifting occasion like mother’s day or a sister’s birthday. Go shopping and ask your girlfriend’s help in picking out a gift. Look at some rings (among other things so she doesn’t get too suspicious). Ask her advice on size and get her to try them on. If you can’t keep up the deception, a trip to a craft fair usually does the trick. She’ll probably look at jewelry and then you can say you like a ring and get her to try it on. Choose something like a skull ring to avoid triggering her proposal-detection sense.
Recruit A Spy
Who does she talk to most? Believe it or not, she may have already given a trusted friend or family member her ring size and instructions on the ring she wants. If not, one of her friends can easily get her size without tipping her off. Here’s how. The friend can ask to try on her ring and will be able to tell you which finger it fit. Or if the friend just got engaged, it will be very natural to have her offer her ring to your girlfriend to try on. Or the next time they go shopping, the friend can try on rings and she’ll be sure to follow.
