Sizing Guides

Find your perfect fit — rings, necklaces, bracelets and bangles, measured from home.

 

Buying jewellery online is easy when you know your size. This guide shows you how to measure your ring size at home, decode Australian ring sizes (we use the same letter system as the UK), choose the right necklace length, and pick a bracelet or bangle that sits just right. If you’re ever unsure, email admin@caratdirect.com.au — sizing advice from our gemmologist founder is always free.

  Ring sizes

Australian ring sizes run in letters — the same system used in the UK and New Zealand — with each size step adding roughly 0.4 mm of inside diameter. Here are three reliable ways to find yours:

01

Measure a ring you own

Take a ring that fits the intended finger and measure its inside diameter in millimetres, edge to edge, with a ruler. Match it to the chart below. The most reliable at-home method.

02

The paper strip method

Wrap a thin strip of paper or string around the base of your finger, mark where it overlaps, and measure the length in millimetres. That’s your circumference — find it in the chart.

03

Free professional sizing

Any jeweller can size your finger in minutes with a ring gauge, usually free of charge. Worth doing before ordering a special piece or a wide band.

 

Tips from our gemmologist

  Measure at the end of the day, when fingers are warmest and at their largest.

  Between two sizes? Always size up — a slightly loose ring is comfortable and resizable; a tight one is neither.

  Wide bands (5 mm and over) fit more snugly — go up half a size.

  Your dominant hand often runs up to half a size larger — measure the exact finger you’ll wear the ring on.

  Larger knuckles? Measure the knuckle as well and choose a size between knuckle and finger base.

  Avoid measuring cold hands or straight after swimming — fingers temporarily shrink.

 

Australian ring size conversion chart

AU / UK size

Inside diameter (mm)

Inside circumference (mm)

US size (approx.)

F

13.9

43.8

3

G

14.3

45.0

H

14.7

46.3

4

I

15.1

47.5

J

15.5

48.8

5

K

15.9

50.0

L

16.3

51.3

6

M

16.7

52.5

N

17.1

53.8

7

O

17.5

55.0

P

17.9

56.3

8

Q

18.3

57.5

R

18.7

58.8

9

S

19.1

60.0

T

19.5

61.3

10

U

19.9

62.5

10½

V

20.3

63.8

11

W

20.7

65.0

11½

X

21.1

66.3

12

Y

21.5

67.5

12½

Z

21.9

68.8

13

Conversions between sizing systems are approximate and vary slightly between charts. If your measurement lands between two sizes, choose the larger. The most commonly purchased women’s sizes in Australia sit around M–O, and men’s around S–U.

  Necklace & chain lengths

Necklace length changes the whole look of a piece — the same pendant reads delicate at 45 cm and dramatic at 70 cm. Lengths below are measured end to end, clasp included.

Length

Style

Where it sits

35–40 cm  (14–16 in)

Choker

Sits snugly around the neck

45 cm  (18 in)

Princess

On or just below the collarbone — the most popular everyday length

50–60 cm  (20–24 in)

Matinee

Below the collarbone, above the bust — ideal over knitwear

70–85 cm  (28–34 in)

Opera

At or below the bust — elegant and dramatic

90+ cm  (36+ in)

Rope

Long enough to double into two layers

Layering necklaces? Space your chains about 5 cm apart — for example 40, 45 and 50 cm — so pendants sit in their own space and chains don’t tangle.

  Bracelet & bangle sizing

Measure your wrist with a soft tape measure (or the trusty paper strip) just below the wrist bone, where a bracelet naturally sits. Then add ease depending on how you like your bracelet to fit:

Fit

Bracelet length

Feels like

Snug fit

Wrist + 1 cm

Sits close with minimal movement — best for fine chains

Classic fit

Wrist + 1.5–2 cm

Comfortable drape with gentle movement — our recommendation

Loose fit

Wrist + 2.5 cm

Relaxed, slides along the wrist — suits bolder styles

As a guide, most women’s bracelets are 17–19 cm and most men’s 20–22 cm.

Bangles are different: they slide over your hand, so it’s your hand — not your wrist — that decides the size. Bring your thumb and little finger together as if slipping on a bangle, then measure around the widest part of your hand, over the knuckles. Divide that measurement by 3.14 to get the minimum inner diameter you need.

Bangle size

Inner diameter

Suits

Small

60 mm

Hand circumference up to ~19 cm

Medium

65 mm

Hand circumference ~19–20.5 cm

Large

70 mm

Hand circumference ~20.5–22 cm

Bangle sizing varies between makers — check each product page for the exact inner diameter.

 

 

Between sizes, or buying a surprise?

Email admin@caratdirect.com.au with what you know — a photo of a ring that fits, a traced circle, a best guess — and our gemmologist founder will help you get the fit right the first time.