Tungsten carbide wedding band ring sizing tips

Shopping for your wedding rings online is an exciting experience, but in addition to choosing your setting it’s important to provide accurate size information to avoid returning the ring. In a jewelry store, you can try the rings on until you find the one that fits best. What should you consider when ordering a tungsten carbide wedding ring from an online store?

Sizing Scale
First of all, even though you will see different ring size charts for women and men, there is only one ring size scale, a jewelry sizing rod for both men and women. So how is it possible for the same ring to give be measured differently at two jewelry stores?

This can happen for several reasons: some sizing rods are made inaccurately or have become inaccurate from years of use. In addition the way the measurement is taken from the sizing rod is important. Some jewelers read the measurement on the upper edge of the rod while other reads the measurement from the middle of the rings.

The most accurate way to measure ring size is from where the lower edge of the ring comes to rest with the sizing rod pointing upward. That’s why you might be told different about the same ring if you visit many different jewelers.

Half-Sizes for Tungsten Carbide Rings
One of the primary differences between tungsten carbide wedding band rings and traditional gold wedding band rings is the hardness. Since tungsten carbide rings are much harder than gold, platinum or silver, they are virtual scratch proof. However, for the same reason, they cannot be resized easily at any jeweler.

Because tungsten carbide rings cannot be resized a jeweler would have make a prohibitively high investment to carry a full inventory of half sizes in tungsten rings. So if you purchase a ring from a store that does not offer half sizes, and after you receive the ring you find out that you need a half size smaller, you will not be able get it from the same jeweler.

Tungsten Carbide Rings with Comfort-Fit Designs
Most tungsten rings on the market nowadays are made in comfort-fit design where the inside of the tungsten ring is curved. The surface of the tungsten carbide ring that is actually touching the finger is less. Therefore, for the same ring size, a comfort fit tungsten carbide ring might feel larger than a non-comfort fit gold band ring.

Some people have a hard time get the correct ring size when buying a new tungsten carbide ring because they use a gold wedding band ring that they currently own for measuring. If the ring is made in non-comfort-fit design, or straight fit design, a tungsten carbide ring in the same size will be too large. A rule of thumb when using a this method is to order your new tungsten ring one-half size smaller if your current gold band ring is not a comfort fit ring.

The Weight of Tungsten Carbide Rings
Due the high density of tungsten itself, tungsten carbide rings are very heavy compare to gold and platinum. The difference is even larger when comparing a tungsten ring with a titanium ring. The weight of tungsten carbide rings makes the wearers feel that they are likely to slide off when their hand is point downward, so for the same ring size, you might feel that a tungsten ring is looser than a titanium ring because of the weight.

The Width of a Tungsten Carbide Ring
Remember that a ring size alone does not determine how a ring fits. Especially when tungsten carbide wedding rings are mostly worn by men, many styles have widths of 9 millimeters or even 12 millimeters. If when you wear size 10 3mm wedding band it feels snug, you probably need a size 10.5 for a tungsten ring of 11 millimeter width.