Think that a ring is a ring is a ring? Think again. Not every ring style, shape or size will look nice on every hand and the last thing you want to do is purchase a ring, either for yourself or a loved one, and then realize that it doesn’t look that great — and it could have nothing to do with the ring itself. The ring could be absolutely gorgeous, a stunning piece of jewelry; it’s just the matter that certain types of rings look rather unsightly on certain types of hands.
Avoid this unfortunate occurrence by shopping for the ring styles that best fit your hand shape and size. Here’s a quick guide to help you find the right fit.
What to Know About Rings & Fingers
There are quite a few factors that play into how nice a ring looks once on your finger. These include:
- The ring size and shape
- The ring’s stone size and shape
- The length of your fingers
- The width of your fingers
- The overall size of your hand
- Your fingernail style
All of these can change how a ring looks once on the hand.
The Best Rings for Long Fingers
If you know that you have particularly long fingers, or if you just have average-sized fingers, but you keep your nails long, giving the appearance that you have long fingers, there are a few particular styles of rings that will look best on your hand.
You’ll want to go with a wider band, if possible, as well as a round or princess-style stone.
The Best Rings for Slim Fingers
Whether your fingers are short or long, if their primary defining feature is that they’re particularly slim, you’ll want to base your ring choice around your fingers’ smaller size. While you might think that a slim finger goes well with a slim band, that’s not necessarily the case. You may find that a thicker band works best for you and that it can actually make your slim fingers look a little longer.
You’ll also want to go with smaller stone sizes, so as not to purchase a ring that overpowers your finger and looks oversized. Suitable cuts include round, cushion and oval.
The Best Rings for Short Fingers
If your fingers are particularly short, you’ll want to go with a ring size and style that gives the illusion that your fingers are longer than they are. Gems cut into oval, rectangular or pear shapes are good for this. You can also go with a narrower band, as that will also give the illusion of more length.
In terms of styles to avoid, don’t go with anything overly large.
The Best Rings for Wide Fingers
If, on the other hand, you have fingers that are on the wide side, you’ll want to choose a thicker band, with a stone that features an angular shape, such as a marquise stone or rectangular cut. If you choose something narrow, either band or stone, it will make your fingers look even wider.
Along these lines, if you find that your fingers are particularly wide at the knuckles, you may want to take even further caution to choose a thick band.
The Best Rings for Small vs. Large Hands
When you’re looking for something to fit the overall size of your hand versus just the size and width of your fingers, you’ll want to go with something that will be proportionate. So, if your hand is small, you probably want to aim for a ring that’s small. If your hand is large, you can go with something larger; a small ring will look practically tiny on your hand.
Just in terms of overall style, large hands can usually get away with more dramatic or eye-catching looks. Smaller hands will want to go with something a little daintier and delicate.
But What About Color?
While ring size and shape is going to play the largest role in how a ring looks on your hand, other factors come into play as well, just as they do when shopping for any piece of jewelry.
While not as important as size and shape where rings are concerned, color matters, too. The right precious metal and right gemstone can make all the difference between a ring you love and a ring you just like.
Pick a ring with a precious metal that compliments your skin tone, whether it’s warm, cool or neutral.
Not sure on your skin tone? Hold a white piece of paper up to your face. Does your skin appear yellow-ish? Then you have a warm skin tone. Does it appear pinkish or even blue-ish? Then you have a cool skin tone. If it appears gray-ish or none of the above, you have a neutral skin tone.
Warm skin tones look best with yellow and rose gold. Cool skin tones look best with silver-hued precious metals. Neutral skin tones look great with just about everything.
In terms of gemstones, cool skin tones pair best with red, green, blue, purple and pink stones. Warm skin tones pair well with orange, yellow, turquoise, tan and brown stones. Of course, everyone can pull off a diamond. Just as with the precious metals, a neutral skin tone works well with just about any gemstone.
If you want to dive even deeper into the question of what kind of ring will look best on you, you can go so far as to take your hair color into consideration, but considering that you’re shopping for a ring rather than earrings or a necklace, hair color isn’t always as big of a factor as skin tone and finger and hand size.
Still, for those who are concerned with hair color, gray and white hair pairs well with black, deep red and navy blue hues, regardless of skin tone; brunettes with cool skin tones look best with white, pink and red stones while brunettes with warm skin tones look best with orange and brown stones; redheads can usually get away with any hue; and lastly blondes with cool skin tones often prefer red, pink and purple gems, while blondes with warm skin tones often prefer green and blue hues.
Regardless of your skin tone or hair color, popular gemstones (beyond diamonds) for rings in particular, due to their durability and how well they stand up to daily or frequent wear on the hand, include sapphires, emeralds, rubies, alexandrite and topaz.
Ready to Start Shopping for Your Perfect Fit?
Still not entirely sure of the best ring style for you? Let a Yamron jeweler help. Stop into our Naples showroom, where you can try on multiple ring styles and find the look that’s best for you.
Shopping for someone else? We can help with that, too! We’re here to assist you in making the best jewelry purchases possible, not only in terms of style, but also in terms of long-lasting value.
Learn more and browse our collection of rings, here.
