What Size Silicone Ring Should I Get? A Foolproof Guide

2 EASY WAYS TO FIND YOUR SIZE

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When it comes to metal rings, most people can find one that is the right size by either knowing what size they are already, or measuring using a ring sizer – paper strips or measuring tape – and a size chart. However, the confusion comes when looking at silicone rings, since they are sized by whole numbers. There isn't a 9.5, only a 9 or 10. This presents the issue of not knowing which size will fit best in silicone.

It doesn't matter if you're choosing silicone rings for women, men, or indeed, silicone rings for couples. The rules are the same: if you wear a whole number size, you're fine; buy that size. But if you wear a half size, you need to buy the whole size that comes before it, so someone who wears a 9.5 will need a 9 in a silicone ring.

The reason for this is quite simple: unlike gold and other metal ring materials, silicone relaxes and beds in over time. What feels tight on first wear is going to feel custom-molded to your finger by day four.

The Golden Rule: The "Size Down" Strategy

Unlike rigid metal rings, silicone rings are designed and made from elastic and durable materials. The polymers in silicone have both memory and elasticity. The net result of this is that silicone rings actually fit a wider range of finger sizes, which reduces the need for the half sizes you're used to seeing with their metal counterparts. Additionally, gold, tungsten, and titanium all have zero elasticity, which also means they will crush or cut the fingers under pressure. Silicone rings have high elasticity and can stretch by up to 15% of their original size, which means they only need to be produced in full sizes.

In simple terms, if your ring size is 10.5, and you buy a size 11 silicone ring, it will eventually become too loose and create a snag hazard. By contrast, a size 10 silicone ring will stretch nicely over a few days of wearing, accommodating the knuckle, and settling comfortably at the base of the finger.

Safety is always key, and a loose-fitting silicone ring defeats the purpose of having a silicone ring altogether. The fit should be snug enough to only break under extreme tension, and not snag on objects due to its loose fit. What you gain from silicone versus gold, silver, or tungsten rings for men, you'll lose without understanding the mechanics of the ring size guide. As an aside, there are, of course, other safety benefits with silicone rings, such as their non-conductivity and their inert nature when it comes to chemicals, cleaners, or oils. You can read more about this in our guide: The Mechanics Wedding Ring Guide: Built for the Bay, where we go into detail about the safety benefits of silicone rings over metal rings.

How to Measure Your Finger at Home (No Tools Required)

The traditional way to measure for your ring size, if you are not at a jeweler's and don't have a ring sizer ruler at home, is to cut your own paper strip, which you wrap around the finger and then mark with a pen. You can then use a standard ruler to find your size measurement in millimeters. Here's how to do it:

The Paper Strip Method (Most Accurate)

1. Cut a strip of paper about 1cm wide (this mimics the width of a ring).
2. Wrap it around the base of the finger.
3. Mark the overlap with a pen.
4. Measure in millimeters and compare to a standard printable ring size chart.

Note: Avoid using string or floss, as they are too thin and can compress the skin, giving a falsely small reading.

The "Existing Ring" Match

If you already have a wedding band that fits you, you can place it over a digital circle chart to measure it and give you your ring size. These are often found on manufacturers' apps and websites. Once you find that measurement, you can then learn what the equivalent would be for a rubber wedding ring.

In order to work out your ring size correctly, you'll need to ensure you measure the inside diameter of the ring and not the outside edge. This is a common mistake that a lot of people make.

Digital Sizing Tools

Fortunately, modern brands have successfully solved the issue of measuring your ring size at home using technology. There are ring-sizing tools available that will allow you to calibrate your phone screen to a known object's size, after which you can then place your ring on the calibrated screen to find out the true size, without the need for a ring size chart.

The Groove Life App allows you to place a ring directly on your phone screen for an instant, calibrated size reading. It removes the guesswork of printing paper charts that might not scale correctly, and means there's no need for a size guide either.

Factors That Affect Your Size

Ring Width Matters

With wide rings and any bands of 8mm or more, you'll find that more heat is trapped under the ring, since they cover a greater surface area of the finger, leading to slight increases in finger size, especially in warmer months or after a gym workout. (Check out the Groove Life Zeus range of silicone rings that come in the 8mm width range.) The upshot of this is that the ring will feel tighter on the finger.

Thin bands, narrow rings, or stackables, on the other hand, will feel much looser, covering a much smaller surface area, creating less trapped heat, and so you'll likely need a more snug fit to be comfortable and keep the multiple rings in alignment, so that they don't slide around on the fingers.

Temperature and Swelling

Something to keep in mind is that hands and fingers fluctuate in size throughout the day and across the seasons. Temperature is one of the key factors, as heat causes blood vessels to expand, which increases blood flow and fluid retention, leading to size differences.

The time of day also has an effect; typically, fluid levels will settle overnight, but increase throughout the day. Physical exercise also plays a big part, and hands will typically be at their largest after a workout.

Conversely, the cold weather and cold water will cause the hands to shrink since cold temperatures cause the blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow.

The received and agreed-upon advice is to measure your hands when they are warm. A silicone ring that fits a warm hand snugly will stay on a cold hand, but a ring sized to a cold hand might cut off circulation after a workout at the gym.

The "Risk-Free" Purchase

One of the main things that puts potential customers off buying a ring online without physically trying it on first is the thought of making a mistake and ordering the wrong size.

Fortunately, there are companies out there that do allow for sizing errors when ordering rings; it's just a case of finding one that offers that kind of guarantee to its customers.

Recommendation: Look for companies with a "No BS" lifetime warranty. Groove Life, for example, is known for its exchange policy, sending a replacement size immediately if the first one doesn't fit, no questions asked, no replacement fee. This essentially makes the sizing risk zero.

FAQs

How do I measure my finger to find the right silicone ring size?

There are multiple ways you can measure your finger to find the right silicone ring size for you. The most common way is to use the paper strip method. Cut a paper strip to around 1cm wide, wrap it around your finger, marking the overlap with a pen. You can then lay out the strip and measure it in millimeters, comparing it to a ring size chart.

Can I use my metal ring size to choose a silicone ring size?

Yes, you can use your existing metal ring size as a reference to find your silicone ring size, but you need to be aware that, while metal rings come in half sizes, silicone doesn’t, and the advice is therefore to size down. If you are a 9.5 in metal ring sizing, this means you would select a 9 in silicone sizing. Silicone is more flexible, and so whole number sizes suit more finger sizes; there is no need for the half sizes.

How does finger swelling impact choosing the right silicone ring size?

Finger swelling is a real issue that affects your ring sizing. The advice is to measure your hands when they are warm. A silicone ring that fits your finger when the weather is warm will also conform to fit a cold hand, but if you were to size your finger when it’s cold, the silicone ring would become too tight later, cutting off the circulation when the hand becomes warmer, which it naturally does later in the day, especially in the warmer seasons or after a workout at the gym.

How do silicone rings stretch and how does that affect sizing?

Silicone rings contain polymers that are flexible and will stretch and change over time. Typically, a new ring that feels tight the first time wearing it will stretch to fit nicely on your finger over the first few days of wearing it. The way this impacts the sizing for you is simple: you size down from your normal metal ring finger size. If your metal ring finger size is a whole number (say 9), then buy that size silicone, but if it's a half size (9.5), size down and also buy a size 9. The silicone will soon mold and settle to a snug fit on your finger.