How to Find your Girlfriend's Ring Size Without Letting her Know

Now that you have decided to pop the question, the next step is buying an engagement ring for your sweetheart. But if you don’t want her to know that you are going ring-shopping, you will need to figure out the size of her ring finger as secretly as possible. Here are a few tips to get you started so that you can surprise your beloved with the perfect engagement ring.

TIP: Read how to buy a diamond ring for $20 and pay the rest later.

Ask around

Rope in your girlfriend’s sister, cousin or a particularly close friend onto your secret ring-shopping scheme. Her friends or family members are likely to know what size ring she wears because they may have sent her a ring as a birthday gift or they may have tried on rings when shopping together. Even if they are not aware of what ring size your girlfriend wears, they are ideally situated to get it for you. Since a close pal or a sister would have access to your girlfriend’s stuff, they can quite easily get hold of a ring and measure its size or take its impression on paper. While involving others in your efforts to get the correct ring-size may mean leaking your proposal plans, at least you will be able to get the correct ring size which is important for buying the perfect engagement ring.

Snoop around

If your girlfriend already wears rings, then it may be pretty easy finding her ring size. Observe carefully when she takes off her hand jewelry, like before going to the shower, doing a spot of gardening or before going to sleep. On any of these occasions when your girlfriend is not around, discreetly take a ring from her jewelry box or cabinet and trace it onto a piece of paper. Remember to trace both the inside as well as the outside of the ring since this will make it easy for the jeweler to come up with the accurate ring size.

Fake it

If your girlfriend is not in the habit of wearing rings, then you may have to make an extra effort to figure out her ring size. The next time you and your beloved are out shopping or browsing through a mall, stop at a jewelry store or even a fun accessory store, tell her that you are thinking about getting your mom or sister a ring for their birthday. Make sure that your mom and sister actually wear jewelry and that you often buy them gifts or your partner may get wise to your efforts. Casually ask your girlfriend to try on some rings for fun and make a note of the ring size that fitted her best or signal to the store clerk to add it to your bill secretively. At the end don’t walk out of the store without actually buying something for your mom or sister so that your girlfriend doesn’t get too suspicious.

While she is sleeping

If you have been unable to get hold of an old ring of your girlfriend or get her to try one in jest for you, there is still another way you can get her size. Measure your girlfriend's finger while she is sleeping. Wrap a small strip of paper around her finger and mark on the paper where the ends meet. Make sure you take into account the size of her knuckle. Take the paper with you to the jeweler's, and he may be able to use it gauge her correct ring size.

Play a game

On a rainy evening ideal for playing romantic indoor games, invite your girlfriend to a personal trivia game in the Newlywed Game style. Write a different random personal question on each index card and make one question about the ring size. As each card is played, both players write down their guesses about the other person. Reward a point for each correct answer. At the end of the evening, you will not only have had a fun game night but more importantly find out interesting nuggets of personal information about your partner, including her ring size.

Be specific

In all your efforts to get your girlfriend’s ring size, it is important to select the right finger. This would be the ring finger preferably on the left hand but if you have been unable to get that even the one on the right hand will do. Sometimes women wear rings on all fingers, which are different sizes, so you want to observe the rings that she wears on her ring fingers and not her middle finger or pinky.

Don’t worry

Most jewelry stores offer free sizing adjustment on rings, so don't fret if you end up with a ring that is too small or too big. It can be taken back to the store from where you bought it and adjusted. In case you have to do some guess-work, keep in mind that average woman's ring size is 6-7, so if your girlfriend is of an average height and weight, then she may be a 6.5. If she is above average or below average, then you may need to adjust the estimated ring size accordingly.