Matching the Ring to the Hand

While there are many traditional and classic settings for diamonds, these days there are just as many contemporary and innovative styles. Choosing a setting can be an enormous and daunting task. You could consider choosing a jewelry artist, making some sketches and working together on a design, but with such a wide and varied range of settings freely available, this is often completely unnecessary.

You might search online, or flick through some magazines to find a style you like, but it’s also important to consider which styles complement which finger and hand types. Some setting styles certainly suit some hands more than others, but of course, not every hand is the same, and they certainly don’t all fit into defined shape categories. So, bear some of this information in mind when you’re choosing a ring, but remember, what looks best for you, and what captures your heart, is the ring for you.

There are a few general rules for what rings suits what hands. If you have large hands and long thin fingers you’re in luck. Your hands will look best with a large pronged setting with a prominent stone that sticks out from the ring. This is lucky because the pronged setting is the best for showing off the diamond – they are a simple and elegant style that is absolutely timeless. Unfortunately, if you’re an active person, or you work a lot with your hands, the pronged style ring is going to be very unsuitable for your lifestyle. Pronged settings catch on clothes, scratch small children and tangle in your hair. However, it’s a gorgeous style that can be either 19^th and 20^th century classic, or minimalist modern or antique. Listen to your own sense of style, but just be sure the ring is large and the setting reasonably thick.

If you have short fingers and a wide-ish hand, a medium sized ring will suit you best. Stay away from solitaires and large pronged settings, but low set multistones will suit you well. Try to keep the diamonds as close to your hand as you can, and choose a style you love.

Small hands and small fingers need small rings. Delicate settings that are thin with multiple inset stones will suit you best. Keep the stones small – large diamonds will swallow up your hand, and a large solitaire or pronged set will look as if you’ve borrowed your ring from Princess Di. Antique styles or modern reproductions, as well as minimalist designs suit small hands very well. Just remember to keep it simple so the ring doesn’t overpower your hand.