Trading in your watch is a common practice among seasoned collectors who want to edit and upgrade their current watch collection. And trading-in has caught on with more and more jewelry collectors who want their bauble wardrobe to evolve with their personal style.

So what is a trade-in?

Trading in an item is an efficient way to make room for a new addition to your collection by unloading an unwanted watch or piece of jewelry and using it to subsidize the cost of your purchase. Unlike consignment, which earns you cash, with a trade-in, you earn store credit to that particular jeweler. The benefit of a trade-in over consignment is that you can use the store credit nearly immediately and don’t have to wait around for your item to sell.

The trade-in process is pretty straight-forward: you submit your jewelry or watch for evaluation. The jeweler will then offer you an amount in store credit which you can accept or decline. Once you accept and turn over the item, you can apply the credit to your next purchase.

If you’re new to trading-in your watch or jewelry, here are some common myths—and the truth behind them—to help you understand the trade-in process.

MYTH: You only make money after your item sells.
MYTH BUSTER: This is a common misunderstanding and is ultimately the key difference between a trade-in and a consignment program. If you consign your item, you are paid out a small portion of the resale value after your piece sells.

And therein lies the benefit of a trade-in versus a consignment. Trading-in your watch or jewelry allows you to earn store credit instantly, without the item having to sell first.

MYTH: The trade-in value is equal to the resale value.
MYTH BUSTER: When you sell or trade-in your item to a jeweler or third party retailer, they are effectively assuming the responsibility (and risk) of having to sell your item. If that jeweler cannot find a buyer, they lose out on the sunk cost of acquiring the piece in the first place. Therefore, jewelers will resell your watch or jewelry for more than they paid out to you; these businesses rely on that margin to keep their doors open.

With a trade-in specifically, the jeweler is on the hook for the store credit they are issuing to you and, should you apply that credit to a purchase, they may lose out on an item from their inventory that could have sold for full price. Therefore, the trade-in value is not equal to the resale value.

MYTH: You can always get your traded-in item back from the jeweler.
MYTH BUSTER: This is actually half-true. You will always receive an offer price—which you can accept or reject—before you release your trade-in item. But, once you agree to the offer price and turn your watch or jewelry over for a trade-in, you cannot ask for it back.

To learn more about TrueFacet’s own trade-in program, visit here or e-mail us at support@truefacet.com and our concierge associates can answer any of your questions.

Unlike the buy-low-sell-high stock market, when it comes to reselling jewelry, there are no rules or guidelines to know when the jewelry market is hot.

The jewelry market is incredibly fickle, so you cannot accurately predict when is the “right” time to sell. What you can control, however, is when you choose to resell jewelry. To help you increase your odds of making more from selling your jewelry, we explain how to identify when the timing is right for you to sell, trade, or keep your jewelry.

1. SELL trendy jewelry.
If your jewelry is the newest must-have trend, there is a narrow window of opportunity to sell it and make a decent amount back. Because tastes are likely to change on a dime, your piece of jewelry could soon become passé.

The exception to this rule are the pieces that are always en vogue including the Cartier Love Bracelet, a CHANEL C&C brooch and the Hermès Clic-Clac, Kelly, or Collier de Chien bracelets. These are designer pieces that have been coveted since they debuted decades ago and, although fashionable, are not exactly trendy. Therefore, do not mistakenly rush to sell them.

2. SELL when you’re ready.
Perhaps you’ve simply grown tired of a piece, or it doesn’t suit your style anymore. If you’re not excited about your jewelry anymore, sell it. Your jewelry is not likely to appreciate in value sitting in your jewelry box, so there is no incentive to hang onto something you don’t really wear.

3. TRADE if you have your eye on something else.
Jewelers and retailers (including TrueFacet) will offer you store credit when you trade-in your piece. Now, while you will not get the same amount as if you consigned it or sold it outright, the benefit to trading in your jewelry is you can apply the credit immediately—your piece doesn’t need to sell in order for you to receive store credit. Trading in is a smart option if you want to, say, upgrade your diamond engagement ring and already have spotted the new one you want at the same store.

4. WAIT if your jewelry is antique or vintage.
Do not rush out to sell off your grandmother’s earrings unless you absolutely need to. The value of fine vintage or antique jewelry doesn’t fluctuate greatly—in fact, older pieces may even appreciate in value. So, shop the piece around to different jewelers and hold out until you get a solid offer. Until you find a worthy buyer, have the item professionally cleaned and safely store it. For more tips on how to store your jewelry, check out our post here.

5. KEEP it if you still love it.
Never part with jewelry that still carries deep sentimental value. Even if you know you can get a good price for it, you will ultimately regret selling an item that means a lot to you. Moreover, even if you can go back to the jeweler and buy it back, you’ll end up having to pay the full resale price for it.

Photo by Whitney’s Wonderland.

When you’re ready to sell a piece of jewelry, you’re going to try to get the best price for it—and that’s going to take a little bit of preparation. The price of pre-owned jewelry can fluctuate between extremes on the market based on a variety of different factors. In light of that, we have put together this guide to helping you boost your jewelry resale value.

1. Clean and repair your jewelry before you put it on the market.

Naturally, you want your piece to be appraised at its best possible condition. As such, we recommend you make the effort to clean your jewelry and make as many repairs to the piece as you can without changing the integrity of its original structure. For example, a necklace with a broken clasp will probably fetch less than one with a functioning one, unless it is valuable on its own, like a Tiffany & Co. clasp would be.

Cleaning your piece shouldn’t be a particularly laborious task, but there are very specific methods to follow that come with caring for different types of metals and gemstones. In general, you should wipe down your piece regularly with a polishing cloth to keep build-up from forming. Don’t use paper towels or other paper materials because the fibers can scratch the jewelry. Store the piece in a fabric-lined jewelry box with anti-tarnish strips as to keep it from tarnishing.

Cleaning metal jewelry

If the piece needs more substantial cleaning, make sure you only use the least abrasive cleaners available. Metal jewelry can be submerged in a bowl of water with two drops of mild dish soap diluted into it. Make sure that you rinse it in warm water and dry it off with a polishing cloth. For more comprehensive guides to cleaning metal-specific jewelry, you can go through our literature on cleaning tarnished gold and silver jewelry, white gold, and mixed-metal jewelry.

Cleaning jewelry set with gemstones

If a piece has a precious stone in it, however, the rules do change. While diamonds are very hard and can withstand treatment with a cleaner and a soft bristle toothbrush, precious stones like pearls are too soft for that. Never use cleaners or submerge a piece of pearl jewelry in water without consulting a jeweler first, as you can literally dissolve a pearl completely by using the wrong cleaner. Stick to a soft cloth to clean pearls instead, or bring it to a jeweler for professional cleaning.

If you prefer to care for pearl jewelry yourself, we have a guide to help you do so here. However, we do recommend taking your pieces to a jeweler for professional cleaning, no matter what material the piece is made of. A professional will be able to assure that your jewelry remains undamaged while still treating the piece to a deep and thorough cleaning.

2. Do your research.

Doing a little homework on the piece you’re trying to sell could definitely pay off. As each genuine piece of designer or branded jewelry comes with a serial number, you should be able to look up that specific model to find out more about it from the manufacturer. The more information you have about your item, the better.

In addition to looking it up for specifics, you could also see how similar pieces are selling on the market. Google has a Shopping tab you can use for exactly this purpose, which would help come up with a ballpark price to aim for when selling your item.

Researching a potential buyer is also very important to the process; you need to make sure that the person or the institution you’re selling your item to is reputable so they don’t just run off without a trace with your precious piece of jewelry. When selling to a jeweler or a pawnshop, look them up (preferably through the Better Business Bureau) and read through customer reviews. This goes double for online retailers: it is far too easy for people to steal your product or your information through faulty websites and fake addresses, so make sure your online buyer is a reputable one.

3. Decide on the medium you want to sell through.

Different kinds of buyers will yield different cash values for your item. Because of varying overhead fees, time constraints, and other factors, a piece could be worth one amount at a pawnshop and significantly more at auction or at a jeweler. As such, choose your potential buyer carefully and factor in things like the ideal time frame in which you want to sell your item.

Go to a Jeweler or a Pawn Shop

If you choose to sell your item to a jeweler or a pawn shop, expect to be paid less than the amount you bought it for. You probably won’t fetch the amount the item was appraised for, either: appraisals are usually done for insurance purposes, so the result will likely be inflated.

In addition to that, a jeweler or pawnshop will have to make a commission on the purchase somehow so they can keep their lights on and doors open. Because their purchase of an item is essentially a bet that they will be able to find someone else who will want to buy it, they tend to lowball prices to assure that they will make back the money they invested into it plus extra. Also, because you can get cash immediately for your item at a pawnshop, the person behind the counter will offer you an especially low amount for it.

Sell to a Friend

As convenient as the fast cash might be, it would be worth it to hunt down a better price elsewhere if you have the time to spare. For example, selling the item to a friend would probably yield a better value, since they don’t have overhead fees like rent and electricity for a brick-and-mortar shop to worry about. This also comes with the assurance that the piece is going to someone who will take care of it, which could be a valuable point if you’re emotionally attached to the item you’re selling.

Auction it Off

If you don’t have any interested buyers among your friends, then perhaps an auction would fit you better. It’s important to remember, however, that this can also be a gamble: after all, the auction house might not even accept your piece, especially if it’s a particularly high-brow auction house like Christie’s or Sotheby’s, because auction houses have strict qualifications for the items they auction off. If your item is accepted, though, there are also extra fees associated with putting an item up for an in-person auction. After all that, the item could still not sell well and fetch very little, if anything at all. Then again, interested buyers might also drive the price up far past its potential value at a jeweler or a pawnshop. A successful auction has a lot more to do with luck than anything else.

Consignment

A consignment store is a much more reliable option. If your piece sells, the consignment store will take a cut of the earnings and you keep the rest. If it doesn’t sell, it is returned to you. At a brick-and-mortar consignment store, you have very little control over how your item is displayed or how many people get to see it, which can be a disadvantage for people who want to curate their pieces’ reach more.

Online Marketplace

One of the best jewelry resale options out there is to go through a trusted online marketplace like TrueFacet. With us, you have more control about how your item is listed, and because we have a global reach and an elite client base, you can rest assured that your item will be exposed to as many of the most discerning buyers as possible.

The services we offer our resellers are also some of the best in the business, so your product will receive the first-class treatment and fetch a better price. Plus, unlike brick-and-mortar consignment stores, which can ask for up to 60% of the final cut of your product’s sale, we make sure you get back as much of the sale price as possible—you earn back 85% of your final resale price. For more information about the services we offer and about selling your item with us, click here.

4. Include a descriptive listing.

It should go without saying that the more information a potential buyer can get about your piece once it’s on the market, the more likely they will be to move forward with buying it. When looking to resell a piece of pre-owned jewelry, be ready to include comprehensive descriptions of the item itself and the accessories it comes with. For example, jewelry that comes in its original branded box with certifications of its quality and authenticity could sell for more than the same piece without a box or papers, so those details are crucial for ensuring a fitting price.

More importantly, though, is the description of the piece itself. Besides including information from the manufacturer about the model’s specifications, you also need to inform the buyer of the flaws your piece has sustained. Nicks or scratches in the metal or on the gem, broken or missing parts, and other imperfections will affect the price of the item, so it’s paramount to include as much information about these things as possible. If you’re selling the piece online, you should also make sure photos of it are high-definition so a potential buyer can see exactly what they’re buying. For tips about photographing your jewelry for resale, visit our story about it here.

TrueFacet has made it even easier to upgrade and refresh your jewelry collection with our TrueTrade program: simply upload photos of your pre-owned jewelry for sale, receive a quote from our appraisers, and start shopping with your TrueFacet site credit.

To kick off your trade-in process, you will need to send a series of clear photographs of your jewelry; this ensures our appraisers give you an accurate quote quickly. To help you get the fastest service via TrueFacet’s TrueTrade program, follow these three simple steps to photographing your pre-owned jewelry:

1. Create a setting with natural light.
The best light to photograph jewelry in is natural daylight, which evenly lights the piece and cuts down on glare. Using an on-camera flash oftentimes results in catch-lights that shine off the metallic surface and obscure the jewelry’s details. Therefore, turn off the flash and photograph your jewelry in a sunny room. 

2. Photograph multiple angles.
Lay your jewelry on a clean, flat surface and photograph it from overhead, the side, a three-quarter angle, and, if relevant, a detail shot. The more images and angles the better. On-body shots (or photos of you wearing the piece) are not as important as clear photos of the entire piece. 

3. Zoom in on the designer’s signature.
The most important photo to include is an image of the designer’s signature. This is the brand name, the metal stamp, or the registration or serial numbers that most frequently appears on the underside or inside of the piece. An in-focus and detailed image of this hallmark will help our team of appraisers give you the most accurate valuation. 

If you have any further questions about TrueFacet’s TrueTrade program, contact a concierge associate here.

Faux-lex. Faux-mega. “Replica” Cartier watches.

Sure, buying a known-counterfeit designer watch seems like a pretty victimless crime—especially when you think about the big name brands who rake in beaucoup bucks for their watches. Plus, only you know you’re sporting a fake Rolex. Who are you really hurting, right?

Although it may seem like a harmless crime, trafficking in counterfeit watches is still illegal and will ultimately come back to haunt you. We shine some light on the shady underworld of counterfeit watches and breakdown the reasons why you should stay far away from phony designer goods.

Reason #1: Your watch can be confiscated and you can be fined for owning a fake watch.
In Italy and France, you will be immediately fined and can face serious jail time if you are caught simply buying counterfeit goods.

Stateside, it is not illegal to buy (even knowingly) a counterfeit watch. But it is very illegal to be caught selling counterfeit goods in the United States. If you are caught with just two fake watches, you can be accused of trying to sell them which is a big problem for you. Even first-time offenders can face upwards of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fee.

Reason #2: You will hurt your own reputation.
If you hope to break into the watch-collecting community, wearing a fake Breitling is a surefire way to end your entrance right then and there. First off, you will embarrass yourself if you try and pass off even a high-quality “replica” watch as the real-deal. Watch collectors will quickly be able to sniff out your fake.

Secondly, watch collectors are known for trading and selling watches within their tight-knit community. If you are known for owning a fake watch, other collectors may be skeptical of your collection and shy away from dealing with you.

And, even if you don’t aspire to amass a collection of watches, having a phony watch on your wrist raises eyebrows as onlookers question if anything else you’re sporting is inauthentic. Yes, it’s definitely just people snidely passing judgement—which isn’t fair, of course—but it’s the harsh reality of how you may be negatively perceived just for wearing a fake watch.

Reason #3: You dilute the brand’s prestige that you’re aspiring to.
Let’s say, down the line, you save up some cash and can afford a real-deal luxury watch. You’re effectively buying into the prestige, tradition and heritage of the timepiece; that brand name means something to you and a lot of other people. The problem with counterfeit watches is that they water down the cachet of luxury brands.

So, it may not seem like a big deal if a single person has a fake Rolex. But, if more and more phony watches work their way into the mainstream, people start to assume anyone and everyone wearing a Rolex watch is really wearing a fake. When fake watches saturate the market, it effectively wipes out designer’s renown—and leaves you out a few grand on a beloved watch that everyone dismisses as a fake.

Reason #4: It’s a waste of money.
While some counterfeiters are hawking their phony watches for a couple bucks, other counterfeiters build surprisingly convincing “replica” designer watches at a few hundred dollars a pop. Granted, spending $600 is not the same as spending $6,000 on a watch but it’s still a significant chunk of change! Moreover, it’s a big amount to spend on something fake. Factor in the likelihood that a counterfeit watch will break down within a year and you can quickly see how “investing” in a “good fake” is a real waste of your hard earned cash.

Reason #5: Your credit card info or even identity could be stolen.
In the past, counterfeit watches were typically purchased in person with cash. However, more and more counterfeiters have been moving online in recent years. In order to elude law officials, counterfeiters will frequently change their URLs and quickly open and shutter their websites. In turn, their faulty websites are incredibly vulnerable to hackers and identity thieves. Shopping on these shady sites leaves you susceptible to having your personal and credit card info stolen.

Engagement rings have existed for thousands of years: records dating back to the time of the Ancient Greeks indicate that even back then, people used jewelry to symbolize their commitment to their loved ones. Thanks to an incredibly effective marketing strategy, this centuries-old tradition evolved so that diamond engagement rings became the standard—and still remain so today. As beautiful and classic as diamonds are, however, we feel that the most interesting engagement rings deviate from that norm and achieve their own level of timeless exceptionality. Here, we’ve rounded up five of history’s most unique engagement rings.

1. From Napoleon Bonaparte to Joséphine de Beauharnais (1796)

This ring was given to Empress Joséphine in 1796 by Napoleon Bonaparte. He had just been demoted from general and was in dire financial straits, but that didn’t stop him from spending every cent he could to produce this simple stunner for his beloved. The ring has a yellow gold band with two tear-shaped stones, a diamond and a sapphire that rings in at just under a carat each, set in the “toi et moi” fashion. Though their relationship quickly reached its tumultuous demise when Joséphine was caught cheating on Napoleon with a lieutenant who was stationed close to her home in Paris, this symbol of their love lives on. In fact it fetched almost $950,000 at auction in 2013, nearly 50 times its appraised value.

2. From Prince Albert to Queen Victoria (1840)

Prince Albert’s and Queen Victoria’s relationship was characterized by their long-lasting, passionate love for each other. They were especially generous, both with each other and with their friends, and made it a point to give lavish gifts during life’s big moments. One of the first of these was the engagement ring that Prince Albert gave to Queen Victoria. It was not a well-known custom in England to give your betrothed an engagement ring, so this one-of-a-kind ring was especially show-stopping. Made out of pure gold, the uniquely-designed serpent-shaped band was supposed to symbolize eternal love, while the emerald embedded into the gold was Victoria’s birthstone.

3. From John F. Kennedy to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (1953)

The Kennedys were considered by many to be America’s royal family, and with good reason: these all-American Bostonians were the perfect picture of class, intelligence and wealth. As such, it was only fitting that the heir to their throne, John F. Kennedy, propose to his future wife with a ring fit for a queen. Despite the actual engagement’s mysterious details—no one seems to be able to confirm when exactly or how it happened—the piece that featured in it is positively dazzling. Jacqueline Kennedy’s engagement ring, designed by the famed jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, has a 2.88 carat diamond, a 2.84 carat emerald, and several tapered baguette diamonds set into a yellow gold band. In 1963, the smaller diamonds were remounted and cut into marquis- and brilliant-shaped stones.

4. From Mel Ferrer to Audrey Hepburn (1954)

Audrey Hepburn’s simple, elegant style made her one of the most well-known fashion icons of her time and beyond. Knowing this, Hepburn’s first husband, Mel Ferrer, presented her with three stackable rings in white, yellow, and rose gold. These rings could easily be switched out depending on which of the three metals would complement Hepburn’s outfit of the day more, or all three could be worn at once. The yellow and rose gold rings were created with interlocking designs while the white gold eternity band was a channel-style ring set with 1.5 carats worth of baguette diamonds. Their classic look paired extremely well with their versatile wearability—a perfect combination for a woman famous for her equally classic yet versatile image.

5. From Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer (1981)

Lady Diana Spencer’s engagement to Prince Charles, the heir of the British throne, drew eyes from all over the world. The story was repeated time and time again in newspapers across the U.K. and the United States, as well as countless other places. Such a well-publicized event warranted a show-stopper of an engagement ring. The 19-year-old soon-to-be princess was given a selection of rings from the jeweler to the royals, Garrard, to choose from. Out of the half-dozen treasures she was presented, she chose this sapphire stunner. The 12-carat Ceylon blue sapphire is set in 18-karat white gold and is surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds. The piece is impressive without sacrificing elegance or simplicity, and its beauty has certainly survived the test of time. After Princess Diana’s tragic death in a car accident in 1997, her belongings were left to her sons, Princes William and Harry. Prince William used Diana’s engagement ring to propose to his future wife, Kate Middleton, in 2010.

For more celebrity engagement rings (and some cheeky lessons about choosing the right one for your partner), click here!

When it comes to reselling or trading in your fine jewelry, many people worry they’re being taken for a ride and receiving far less than their piece is actually worth. To help you determine if you’re getting a fair price for your jewelry, we clarify the key factors that influence the resale value of your piece and shed light as to why that jeweler’s quote you just received is a fraction of what you originally paid.

The retail price is not the amount you will receive for your jewelry.
Perhaps the most common misconception about selling your jewelry is the expectation that you will earn the full amount of the listed resell price. The reality is that your payout will be less.

Why?

First off, just like driving a new car off the lot, your item immediately begins depreciating the moment you take it out of the store. So, even if you bought your bracelet just a few months ago, its value has already slipped. Factor in any wear-and-tear and the resale value decreases further.

And, more importantly, your received quote is less than the jeweler’s resale price because the jeweler is effectively placing a bet that they can resell your jewelry and make back their investment. If they cannot find an interested buyer, the jeweler is on the hook for that sunk cost.

Moreover, jewelers rely on that margin to keep their doors open and lights on; it would be bad business for them to resell the item at-cost.

But, if you hope to recoup as much of the resell price as possible, consider going the marketplace route and list your item on TrueFacet where sellers keep 85% of the resell price.

The cost of the gold per ounce does not necessarily positively influence the amount you’ll earn.
Logic would tell you that, if your weighty necklace is made with 18K gold, the gold itself (when melted down) is worth a pretty penny. Therefore, at minimum, your gold necklace should literally be worth its weight in gold, right?

Unfortunately, no. Pure gold is sold by the ounce, but karat gold used for jewelry making is sold by the gram. Therefore, you need to convert the weight of your jewelry from grams into ounces, roughly 31.1 grams per ounce. Furthermore, karat gold is made of pure gold and a harder, alloying metal, so only a percentage of the karat gold’s total weight (in ounces) is pure gold.

So, once you calculate all these weights and percentages, you’re left with value of the gold alone, which may be less than you initially expected.

All else equal, branded jewelry will fetch more than unbranded jewelry.
Shoppers generally prefer to have a luxury brand name attached to their jewelry. It’s not just a status symbol; the respected designer name gives shoppers the added assurance that the item is made of high-quality materials by the world’s leading craftspeople. Therefore, a brand name will increase the resell price of your item.

One thing any jewelry seller should remember is that just because a particular item carries sentimental value to you, its resale value is based on an objective appraisal. Unless its documented past owners were celebrities or historic figures, the piece’s personal history is not likely to inflate its cost.

With all this in mind, if you suspect you’re being under-quoted, have your pieces appraised by a handful of jewelers. This will give you a better idea of the market value and peace of mind that you’re being quoted fairly.

As emotional an affair as it is to propose marriage to the person you love most, it can also involve an incredible amount of planning and logistics. Besides making sure that the both of you are ready for a lifetime commitment, there’s also the business of preparing the ring, planning out the proposal, coordinating with your partner’s family, and all the other little details that must be attended to to make your proposal magical.

The first, of course, is making sure you have the perfect ring—both in style and in size. The last thing you need is for your partner to not even be able to slide on their engagement ring and show off the fruits of your labor and affection. To help you avoid a ring-related faux pas, we’ve come up with a few methods (both sneaky and not) that you could use to find your partner’s ring size.

1. Use one of the rings they already own

If your partner wears rings often anyway, you’re in luck. Pay attention to the rings they wear on their left ring finger—remember, ring sizes vary from finger to finger and from hand to hand, so always use the left ring finger for reference!—and try to sneak off with one of them for a while.

If you don’t have much time with it, you can use it with the TrueFacet Ring Size Guide or trace the inner and outer sides of the ring and bring that to a jeweler. If their ring is smaller than one of your fingers, another method you can try is to slip it on your finger and draw a line on your finger directly under the point where the ring gets tight. A jeweler can use that line to figure out their ring size.

Remember, the ring also has to fit over the knuckles of your partner’s finger, so it’s better if the ring is a little loose rather than too tight. It can easily be resized after the proposal, if necessary, and loose rings are easier to resize than tight ones. Ideally, though, if you can borrow their ring for longer, take it directly to a jeweler and have them tell you the size.

2. Make arts and crafts

Artsy couples, take note—your next joint project may be the key to finding out your partner’s ring size. Make a project using painted handprints—or, even better, a mold of their left hand, if you can swing it—and bring the project to a skilled jeweler. Using the width of the ring finger on the handprint, the jeweler may be able to extrapolate an estimate of your partner’s ring size. As corny as it may sound, it could be a fun project to do together and be a creative way to figure out your future spouse’s ring size. Bonus points if you can come up with a project that would actually be fit to be displayed in an adult’s apartment. We’re partial to this cute handprint cactus.

3. Compare their size to yours

This is probably the least precise method of learning your significant other’s ring size, but it’s also the most convenient for you. All you have to do is look at your hand and theirs and gauge how much bigger or smaller their ring finger is compared to yours. Is wider than yours? Is their finger more slender than yours is? If you can gauge and quantify all of this simply by looking, you have a great shot at estimating their correct ring size.

4. Have them try on other rings to gauge their size

Bring your partner on a field trip to your local street fair or crafts show and have them try on rings there. Pay attention to the rings that end up fitting on them—if the size isn’t listed on it, you can ask the vendor what size it is and use that. You could also make them try on those costume rings with adjustable open backs and bring the adjusted ring to a jeweler.

5. Talk to them

Perhaps these creative methods aren’t for you—or maybe you’d rather be more direct about buying them a ring. In that case, the simplest way to figure out their ring size is just to ask them. The proposal can still remain a surprise if you ask about their ring size, anyway, if that is what worries you. After all, they still won’t know how you’re planning to do it or when you’ll pop the question. If you want, you can strike up the conversation with them while watching TV and prevent suspicion by bringing up the subject after a jewelry commercial comes on. This way, it seems more nonchalant and you can maintain some mystery about your proposal as well as find out more details about the engagement ring they want.