The internet has tons of advice on how to decide if a ring is the right size - and what to do about it if it’s not. And yet, people are just as likely to get confused and overwhelmed as they are to find a helpful answer.., not to mention the often misleading or misunderstood DIY measuring and sizing advice. Put yourself into the conversation online and promise an on-premises, no-pressure/no-obligation professional sizing. An occasional customer may walk out afterward and still want to risk shopping online – but most will appreciate the gesture and be impressed with the value of an up-close and personal encounter.
Bring out the tools: Explain that no one ring-sizer fits all. Have at least two sets of ring gauges to demonstrate the different ways wide and narrow bands fit. You can even get sets in flat or comfort-fit designs.
Pro-tip: Don't leave an entire ring gauge set to hang from a customer's finger while they try on a ring. The weight (even if it's plastic) will pull and make the ring seem big. Instead, remove the sizing ring from the set, or if pressed for time, have the customer rest their hand on a counter-top cushion.
Bring out the tricks: Show customers available solutions for hard-to-fit fingers. Fingers that taper sharply (meaning the base is wider than the tip) may benefit from having a simple ring guard fitted in the shank to keep the ring from slipping off. Fingers that are widest at the knuckles can have half or full-size sizing balls soldered to the shank to prevent the ring from spinning or tipping on the finger.
Pro-tip: Keep hand sanitizer on hand in case you need to help a customer remove a snug ring – it’s skin friendly (unlike window-cleaner), residue-free (unlike hand lotion) and might come in handy if a customer decides to try using saliva.
Bring on the lecture: Warn customers about the dangers of wearing a ring that is hard to remove. Aside from the discomfort and a permanent ring indent, people could risk having the ring damaged or destroyed in case of an injury or emergency medical treatment. Rings would have to be cut off fast if any magnetic resonance imaging became necessary, or if the finger swelled after a hand injury (yes, ring tourniquet syndrome is as nasty as it sounds...) and if it ever came to that, here’s hoping the EMT just happens to be a jeweler too.
Pro-Tip: Explain that most peoples’ finger size can fluctuate even over the course of a single day. The best time of day to measure is after lunch but before dinner when gravity and daily activities have had some time to take effect, but sodium or carbs have not. Now, how’s that for a topical ‘lunch n’ learn’ demo?
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