Best Engagement Rings For Fat Fingers

Looking for the perfect engagement ring ? Then you know how nerve-wracking it can be to find the right diamond, the right setting, and also fit all of it into your budget. But what happens if you’ve also got chubby fingers and need a ring that will compliment instead of draw attention to them ?

There are quite a few combinations you can consider for fat or chubby fingers, and all of these can be made by a goldsmith or are already carried by jewelry stores and retailers. Here’s what you need to remember, out of all the following tips: you need to created the illusion or look of a longer, slender looking finger. This is quite easy to do if you know what to look for, and some of the key elements are carat size, gem shape, and how large the ring shank is. So let us guide you through this.

Get the right proportions for your center stone !

Before anything else, your center stone makes all the differences. It’s what will draw the eye and you can make the ring look all the better on your hand with the right proportions. This applies to any finger size, be it chubby, fat, skinny, knobbly, what have you.

Get a measuring tape, or a ruler, and measure the width of your ring finger, where the ring would sit. Measure in millimeters because this is how we’ll be measuring the gemstone as well. Let’s assume you got a 20mm measurement (so a size 10.5-11). Now calculate 40% of that and you get 8mm. That is the rough estimate of how wide the center stone should be, or order for it to be flattering.

You can go larger, like a 50% and thus get a 10mm stone. It will cover enough area of your finger to make the sides look smaller. Don’t go lower than 40% if you want to avoid your gem looking too narrow. Regardless of the shape of the center stone, do not go lower than 40%, or too much over 50%!

Elongated cut gemstones lengthen and slim the finger

Emerald cut, oval, elongated radiant, elongated cushion are great options. Marquise and pear might not work due to their tapered, sharp points.

These elongated cut diamonds (or gemstones, could be any gem you like) are going to draw the eye along their longest point. So when you set them in the traditional north-south setting, the eye will be draw to how long the stone is. Of course, you need the right proportions for this. You need to calculate this:

  • your center stone width is 40 to 50% of your finger width in mm
  • your center stone height is determined by the ratio, where 1 is the center stone width, and the extra height (like 0.40 or 0.30) is a percentage of the stone width.

So let’s assume a radiant cut diamond for the size 10.5-11 ring we discussed earlier. The width of the center stone should be 8mm, based on the previous calculations. And in order for the radiant to look nice, let’s go for a 1.40 length to width ratio. This means it should have an 8mm width (the 1)and an 11 mm length (the 1+0.40).

Let’s get another example, for an oval cut this time. Assume a 13.5 ring size, so a 22.6 mm width. 40% for the center stone width, and you get 9mm. The best ovals are also 1.40, so we need an oval that is 9×12.6mm. If you want to cover more of the finger, say 45%, and still keep the same 1.40 ratio for your oval, you need a 10×14.5mm oval.

These fingers are NOT fat, or chubby, but the rings showcase those perfect ratios we were discussing just now.

Opt for a medium-thick ring or wedding band

Alright now we know the center stone. But what about the band thickness ? Well here you have several options, especially if you’re planning on stacking your engagement ring and wedding band.

If you’ll be wearing your engagement ring solo, you should go for a thicker/wider band. The standard is a 2mm wide one, so you may want to go for a 3.5 to 4mm one, depending on how comfortable you are with it.

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2 carat oval cut solitaire ring, set in 14k gold. See it on Amazon

If you’re planning to stack, you could keep your engagement ring at 2mm and the wedding band also at 2mm, or perhaps 3mm for a total of 4 or 5 mm.

The point is to not get a dainty band for a larger center stone, else is will look unbalanced. But you also don’t want to get a ring combo on your finger that will take up too much space, making your fingers look shorter.

Toi et moi rings are a nice combo

Okay, what if you’re looking at toi et moi rings ? How does the 40-50% center stone ratio look now ? Well it should encompass the total width of both stones together. Or, you can completely forget about it and get the two stones you love, because they will take up enough space on your finger so there won’t be much side left.

Toi et moi settings (and loose cluster settings) are actually great at making the whole ring look larger, which is always a great thing.

Large halo rings are good to cover more space

Alright, what if the perfect ratio for your center stone means you can’t afford that stone ? Or maybe you can afford it but want a halo around it too.

Then then halo will look best if it measures that 40-50% ratio at its widest point. This means you can get a slightly smaller center stone, and the rest of the width will come from the halo.

2 cttw radiant diamond ring with halo and pave split shank, set in 14k gold. See it on Amazon

A word of caution on overly large/wide halo rings. They can end up looking like cocktail rings, so make sure you’re okay with wearing that ring every single day and are comfortable with the way it sits on the finger.

Double shank rings also help elongate the finger

Another option would be to get a double or split shank ring. A double shank ring has basically two ring shanks, one soldered at one end and one at the other end, creating a negative space between them. This works very well for larger, longer stones. It may not accommodate a wedding band on the same finger though.

Split shank rings are just like they sound, a single shank that splits into two, with the center stone nestled right between the two arms. You can take advantage of this and create a filigree pattern, or add extra stones at the top, like tiny accents at either end of the stone if it’s not long enough or you want extra embellishment.