There’s a delicate balancing act you have to do when guessing your girlfriend’s ring size. Obviously, you want to be as accurate as possible, but you don’t want to ruin the surprise. Of course, if you don’t mind the lack of surprise, then you can just bring her along and have her pick the ring and the right size all at once! But if you’re looking for more covert ways to determine your girlfriend’s ring size, read on for some helpful tips.

What Will Work

Borrow One of Her Rings

If you want the most accurate sizing possible, borrow one of her rings. It’s really that simple. If you’re trying to keep surprise in the equation, borrow it without permission (but obviously with every intention of bringing it back).

Maybe she’s got a jewelry box with rings she wears as a part of her everyday jewelry. If so, you’re in luck. If she doesn’t wear a ring on her ring finger, let your jeweler know which finger she does wear her rings on. That may not be perfect, but it’ll be pretty close. You probably want to make this mission a quick one before she notices, though.

Ask Those in the Know

Friends and family may know her ring size. Obviously, they may not, but it’s worth trying to ask them. If they have a good idea, at least you’re that much closer.

Just Ask Her

So, you didn’t get each other promise rings in the past, and you couldn’t get the information from friends and family. Hey, so be it. Keep it casual but ask her directly what her ring size is. There’s still the element of surprise in the date of the proposal or gift giving itself, as well as the location and who’s involved and all that. You don’t have all the surprises available to you, but you’ve still got a whole lot of them.

This is really the only sure thing when it comes to guessing your girlfriend’s ring size. If she isn’t certain, head down to your local jeweler to get sized or order a ring sizer online.

Go Covert

Get the friends in on it. Maybe your girlfriend’s best friend will help you by taking your girlfriend out shopping or running some errands. While they’re out, they can head by a jewelry store and just “have to go in for fun.” Your friend gets the information, passes it on to you and your girlfriend is none the wiser.

Consider which of your girlfriend’s friends is the best at keeping secrets and enlist her. Maybe you should be a little concerned that your girlfriend surrounds herself with Machiavellians, but there’s no time for your ethical qualms right now.

What Doesn’t Work

The Shoe Trick

Sorry, fellas. It’s been a long-standing myth that your shoe size and ring size correlate. While they sometimes do, that’s purely a coincidence. We know it’s a heartbreaker, but it’s better you hear that now than base your guess on it erroneously.

Source: Daniel Jedzura/shutterstock.com

Guessing

This one should be obvious, but just in case you were still considering venturing a guess as your best option — don’t. Unless you make a killing every time you visit Las Vegas, you probably aren’t lucky enough to guess correctly. Employ a little bit of effort, and you’ll take a lot of the guesswork out of the affair.

What Can Work

Wear One of Her Rings

None of the “can works” are guarantees, but this is probably the best of the three options. If you can wear one of her rings and remember where it sits on your finger, you can show that to your jeweler. From there, you can get a pretty close fit by trying on some rings. While it’s not perfect, if you can remember where it fits you, you can get about the best guesstimate possible.

Going from the Average Size

The further your girlfriend is from average, the harder this will be — obviously. However, the nice thing about average is that a whole lot of people fit into that category. Yes, you’re special in other ways, but statistically, there’s a good chance you’re average. In this scenario, that’s a good thing. If your girlfriend is roughly average height, she likely has roughly average hand size. Is this a perfect method? No. Is it going to get you close, though? Very possibly.

The String Theory

So, this is a tough one, especially if you don’t live together. The string method involves tying a string around your girlfriend’s finger while she’s asleep and keeping that string in the same place when you take it off her finger.

There are several areas where this one can go badly. However, if you can manage to keep the string exactly (or almost exactly) in the same place, you’ll get a pretty good idea. Of the three “can works,” though, we rank this as third place. Our lawyers would like us to remind you not to go breaking and entering for a ring size, so don’t do that.

Source: hedgehog94/Shutterstock.com

Look, the only sure ways to get the right size are to get a ring she already has on her ring finger or go get her ring size together. The rest of the options vary in effectiveness but can work as well. However, if you’re unsure of her ring size, make sure you get a ring that can be returned or resized.