“Everyone deserves some form of luxury,” said Ms Bunn, 36.
Kelly Augustine, a 35-year-old stylist, is looking for rings that are open and adjustable when dressing clients. She also maintains a running list of jewelry designers that include size. Her favorites include L’Enchanteur (sculptural, wearable talismans), Automic Gold and JLANI Jewels (environmentally conscious, everyday pieces), and Poirier, a demi-fine jewelry line born out of the founder’s own frustration at the lack to size – including jewelry options.
Fine jewelry uses semi-precious stones to precious gems and precious metals such as gold or platinum. The larger the ring, the more precious metal is used, the more expensive it is to make. Each time a diamond-wrapped eternity band increases in size, another diamond is added and the price increases. Costume jewelry may use less expensive gold-plated metals and imitation gems, but with low margins or not, it’s still risky to create products that may not sell. It costs money to keep products in stock for a customer who may not come; it takes time to figure out who your customers are, what they want, what they’ll spend, how to reach them.
And yet more and more brands have made it their priority to offer rings in different sizes. They know the customers are there – and they’ve been waiting. They comment on brands’ Instagram accounts, asking for the elusive size 11. They custom order a size 13 of L’Enchanteur’s best-selling signet ring with a phoenix flying. They don’t worry about whether the rings are designed for women or men. Even the term “ring finger” feels outdated. After all, the early years are back in fashion; some of us would like to wear rings on our index fingers and thumbs.
When Automic Gold started making rings, its designer, AL Sandimirova, sampled a range of sizes rather than conforming to the narrow standard of the jewelry industry. “I didn’t realize it was an industry standard because I wasn’t introduced to this from the fashion industry,” said Mx. Sandimirova, 33. “As a small business owner, I understand it perfectly: it’s easier to make one sample than three samples. So I just make the most sampled measure, technically, in my company.”
mx. Sandimirova and their team wear their own designs for at least two months before launch to ensure quality is up to standards, meaning Automic Gold team members — and the width of their fingers — determine sample size. The company’s rings – delicate chains made from reclaimed and recyclable gold; ethically sourced gemstones embedded in simple bands; unisex designs – run from size 2 to 16. Mx. Sandimirova searched online for other fine jewelry brands, but quickly realized that Automic Gold may be “the only fine jewelry brand in the world” with this huge spectrum of sizes.
