Love and Marriage | Hands Feature

When you walk into your local, friendly RJI jeweller in search of a ring he or she will recognise your hand as being one of four basic shapes and suggest jewellery accordingly. The four basic shapes are:
Standard, Square, Short/Fleshy and Long/Thin which would translate into Air, Earth, Fire and Water if you were a palmist.
Since those names are far more romantic that’s what we’re going to use in this article! Don't forget, when choosing a ring, Size Matters!.

AIR

Ring Tips | Lucky you; you’ve got the "Perfect 10" of hands! You can basically wear what you like so long as it’s not too big and chunky. Stick to medium-sized rings, if you do go for a big ring make sure it’s delicate. Square settings will look well, as will diagonals or angular designs. Contemporary styles look good on your hand as it was probably what the designer had in mind when creating the style in the first place.
For your engagement ring you could experiment with all different shapes of stones and settings e.g. princess, pear and emerald cut diamonds. Tension set style rings need a good hand and you have it! You can afford to be daring in your choice of dress rings.

Aurora, from Martina Hamilton’s stunning silver and gold contemporary collection would be a marvellous choice. While dramatic, Aurora (pictured right) is also light, airy and wonderfully elegant.
Price for the range | €170 – €255 (Check out the matching earrings and pendants!)

Beauty Tip | You don’t need to go to any great lengths to disguise your hands; all you need to do is look after them and keep them in tip-top condition. Use rubber gloves where possible when doing housework. Park a pot of handcream wherever you have a sink and use it every time you dry your hands.

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EARTH

Ring Tips | The trick with a square hand is to give it a softer, more feminine look. For your engagement ring go for flowing lines and avoid angular shapes. Round styles are best. Avoid chunky, sharp graphic shapes that will make your hand look more masculine. Symmetry is vital with the focal point of the ring always at the centre. Your dress ring style should be like your engagement ring i.e. round brilliant-cut solitaires or three stone rings with the centre stone larger than the two outside stones, always drawing the eye in to a focal point.

The gorgeous pink-stoned Ti Sento ring featured would be a perfect choice. It’s soft, rounded lines are the epitome of femininity. From a range of different shapes and stones.
Price | €80 – €140.

Beauty Tip | To help create the illusion of a soft, feminine hand paint a line of pearly nail varnish down the centre of the nail. This will attract light to the centre and will give the effect of you having a longer nail than you actually have.

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FIRE

Ring Tips | Because your fingers are short your aim with jewellery is to lengthen your hand in which case you’ll need settings that create elongation. Choose stones that are set lengthways along the finger. Those that narrow on either end would be better again e.g. marquis. Be careful not to pick too big or too small a ring, The rule for you is: medium width in bands and elongated designs in dress and engagement rings. Make sure you get a size that fits well. Not too tight as this will take from the look of the ring on your hand. Don’t be tempted to squash on a bargain, you won’t be able to carry it off! Medium sized marquis diamonds would add length to your fingers. A multi stone set ring in a similiar pattern will also work well for you. Never go for a square shaped setting.

The multi stone dress ring featured, from the current Killarney Crystal Jewellery collection is a good choice, not too big, with the rich colour of the stones drawing attention away from your hand to the beauty of the ring.
Price | €49

Beauty Tip | As per your Earth sister, soften the look of your fingers by painting a line of pearly nail varnish down the centre line to elongate the nail.

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WATER

Ring Tips | Long fingers allow for dramatic styles and elegant designs, to create a shortening effect. You can wear bands that are extra wide and you can also stack rings on your finger in twos and threes. If anyone could carry off a knuckle-duster it’s you! You will have to wear a medium to big engagement ring as anything too small will look tiny on your hand. Good design and a good fit is vital as a loose ring on a long thin finger doesn’t look well. Avoid knife-edge shoulders on rings i.e. the band your stones are set into should be of a good width, not too thin.

Good Styles | Emerald or square-cut centre stone with two stone set bands (matching pair) worn either side of the ring look stunning. Lucky you, you can experiment and get away with it. Don’t do dainty.

Any one of these beautiful bands from the Dunia collection would look superb on a long slender finger, for a dress occasion.
Prices are good too, ranging from €59 - €200.

Beauty Tip | Use a matt nail varnish it will help deflect the light from your nails creating a shortening effect.

Engagement rings featured are from: Domino, Bien by B&N, Kestrel, Alfred Terry and Bercott. Bands from: The Raphael Collection by Gemex. All from RJI jewellers.

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SIZE MATTERS

Size is very important when buying an engagement ring. A ring sizer is the most accurate measure. After sliding on the ring sizer make sure it slides off easily over the knuckle. Don’t measure on cold fingers, this is when they are at their smallest giving an unreliable fit. For the most accurate reading, measure the ring finger at the end of the day when it is at its largest. If you are buying the ring as a surprise, ask close friends and family if they know the size? Alternately, secretly take one of your partner’s rings to the jewellers to be measured.

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