Your Knuckles Are Not Too Big
By: Sharon Zimmerman
Tags: Jewelry Design, Jewelry, Fashion, Body Positive

This and other myths about your fingers, coming right up.

Thigh-gap, cankles; too much volume in your hair, or not enough; boobs that are too big or too small; wrinkles; grey hairs — the list of things that we are supposed to feel bad about when it comes to our bodies is a lot. But your body is not a fault or a failing.

Jewelry Should Be Free of Body-shaming

I thought when I got into jewelry that it was more democratic and less judgmental than the rest of the fashion industry. And it should be. After all, many of us in the industry are making jewelry to order, so making a ring to fit you shouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, when it comes to making sample sizes, a lot of us (myself included) opted to make rings in sample sizes that were less than inclusive. And that’s why I continually hear customers talking about their knuckles and complaining that they are “so big!” Or that “rings never fit” them. It’s a bad cycle, and one that I can definitely break.

If You Want To Flip Someone Off, You’ll Need Your Knuckles

One of the designer’s rings being used totally appropriately

So let’s start by talking about what knuckles are. Knuckles are formed when the round knobby ends of your phalanges meet and are joined together by tendons and ligaments so that you can do useful things like bend your fingers to flip the bird to the driver who just cut you off in the crosswalk. Knuckles are useful is what I am saying.* And sometimes knuckles are wider than the base of your finger, mostly cuz of the shape of your bones. And this is OK.

Rings Can Be Made to Fit

Now onto “rings never fit”, too many jewelry designers (I am guilty of this too) use a sample size that is “average”. What, exactly, is average? Is it a 6 or a 7? I’ve seen some unsubstantiated articles suggest that rings ordered online are likely to be about a size 5. No, wait! A size 7! Or maybe it’s really a 6. These averages don’t take into account the customers who get frustrated at not being able to try on their size and simply never buy a ring. Or potential customers who think that rings never fit them and so they stop trying.

And how should a ring fit? The answer is that a ring should feel a little snug going over your knuckle and then just a little loose at the base of your finger. A ring should fit snugly over the knuckle so that it doesn’t fly off of your hand when you move about. Some people have more webbed fingers with very little difference between the knuckle and the base of the finger. This is also OK.

So What Now?

Rings can be made to fit. Almost all rings can. This year, I am working to bring larger sizes of rings (8 and up) to my shows to provide more people with the experience of being able to try on rings. It is a slow process, but one that I am committed to because trying on rings is hella fun.

I’ve changed my ring sizing options on this website. A few of my rings can’t be resized below a size 4 without disrupting the integrity of the design. For any of those rings, you’ll be able to pick your size off of a drop-down menu all the way up to a size 15. For any ring with greater flexibility in the design, you’ll be able to specify your ring size (whole, half or quarter sizes) whatever your ring size is. Need a 1? I can do that. Need a 15? I can do that too. I want all of you to be able to experience the joy of jewelry.

Rings for all, and fuck beauty standards.

*This is just for everyone out there dealing with arthritis in your hands, the only time that your knuckles might actually be a little larger than average. Yet even with arthritis, your knuckles are not too big. They are inflamed and need care, and a couple of sizing beads on the inside of your ring. We can make that happen.