By Indra Jhaveri of AMI Diamonds and Jewelry
Since publishing the article on Diamond Jewelry Maintenance in the February issue of The Scottsdale Standard, we have received quite a few inquiries and incidences regarding ring sizing. This article is dedicated to giving you more answers and details.
It is my estimate, based on customers we have served and statistics I’ve read, that about 95 percent of the population has some issue with knuckle vs. digit as shown in diagram 1 below. Most of the time, the knuckle is little larger than the ‘digit’ behind it, so the inner diameter of the ring has to clear the knuckle and could end up free floating on the digit. This can cause discomfort and in more severe cases, scraping, chaffing, and cutting into adjacent fingers – especially top-heavy rings. In such cases, ring guards and sizing dots described in the February article could be appropriate (see image 2). It has also been observed that rings with squared-off bottoms (sometimes referred to as European style shanks – see image 4) can serve a similar purpose, in not allowing the ring to float or roll over.
In more severe cases, with arthritis causing two or more size differences between the knuckle and digit behind it, use of an ‘adjustable shank’ was discussed in the February article and is illustrated below (image 3).
In the most severe case, one manufacturer has devised a ring concept where the ring can be opened up and placed directly over the digit, bypassing the knuckle problem. This is the most expensive solution.
