Size guide

The bangle, and why it gets its own section

A jade bangle is carved from a single block. It does not open, it does not close, it has no hinge and no clasp, and it cannot be resized: jade is too tough to be cut open and soldered back like metal.

The consequence is simple and often surprising: it is not your wrist you need to measure, it is how your hand slips through. A bangle that is too small will never go on, however patient you are, and a forced bangle breaks or hurts your hand.

It is the number one reason for returns in this market, far ahead of colour. Take five minutes.

Measuring your hand

1. Close your hand as if slipping on a bracelet: fingers together, thumb folded into the palm as far as it will go.
2. Measure around your hand at its widest point, across the base of the thumb and the knuckles, with a sewing tape measure or a strip of paper.
3. Note the circumference in millimetres. Pull it as tight as the bangle will have to pass, that is, firmly, without squashing the skin.
4. Divide by 3.14 to get the minimum inner diameter of the bangle. A circumference of 188 mm therefore calls for about 60 mm in diameter.
5. Add one to two millimetres to that minimum. A bangle that only just fits goes on once, when your hand is cool, and will not go on again on a hot day.

A bangle is worn snug on the wrist and barely turns. If it turns a lot, it is too big, and it will knock against tables. If it will not pass your knuckles even with a little soap, it is too small: do not force it.

Your ring size

In this shop, a ring size is the inner circumference of the band in millimetres, the French system. A size 52 measures 52 mm around, about 16.6 mm across. That is all there is to remember.

With a strip of paper

1. Cut a strip of paper half a centimetre wide and about ten centimetres long.
2. Wrap it around the base of your finger, tight enough not to slip, loose enough to turn.
3. Check that it passes over the knuckle without tearing: the knuckle decides, not the base of the finger.
4. Mark the point where the paper overlaps with a pen, unroll it and measure the length in millimetres with a ruler. That is your size.

With a ring you already wear

Lay it on a ruler and measure its inner diameter, from one inner edge to the other, through the centre. Multiply by 3.14. A diameter of 16.5 mm gives a size 52.

The four measuring traps

• The time of day. Fingers swell: measure at the end of the day, at a normal temperature. A measurement taken on waking and one taken after exercise give two results half a size apart.
• The hand. Your dominant hand is almost always slightly larger. Measure the exact finger that will wear the ring.
• The width of the band. A wide band feels tighter than a slim one of the same size. For a wide ring, going up half a size is often the right choice.
• The knuckle. If it is clearly larger than the base of your finger, choose the size that passes over it: a ring you cannot get on is a ring you cannot wear.

The available sizes are offered on each ring’s product page, in the drop-down menu. When a size is not listed, it does not exist for that model.

See the jade rings.

The length of a necklace

A chain or a bead strand is chosen by where you want the stone to fall. The simplest way is to take a shoelace, lay it around your neck at the height you want, then measure it flat.

The exact length of each piece is written on its product page, measured clasp included. See the necklaces and the pendants.

What I cannot adjust

Better to say it before you buy than after.

The bangle

No resizing possible. It is carved from solid stone. This is the piece where the measurement matters most.

A jade ring carved from solid stone

No resizing either, for the same reason. Only rings with a metal band can sometimes be resized, and I am not the one who does it.

A bead strand

Shortening it means restringing it. A jeweller can do it; it is not a service I offer.

A chain

Easily shortened by any jeweller, and it costs little.

If the size you receive does not fit, the right of withdrawal applies as for any distance purchase. The steps to follow.

• Unsure about a size? Write to me
• Measuring your hand for a bangle
• See the bracelets
• Delivery and returns