Hands and fingers are as individual as faces, and just as important when it comes to creating your individual style, especially on your wedding day.
At Heirloom, part of Ruth Donaldson’s role is to help clients make the right choices when it comes to showing off their hands and nails – and of course, the ring – on their big day.
It’s important to choose an engagement ring and a wedding ring that suits your hand and finger shape, so we’ve got her to spill the beans to ensure you have perfectly presented hands…
Long thin fingers
Enhance your hands
Long fingers allow for dramatic styles and elegant designs to create a shortening effect.
Jewellery tips
Choose bands with exaggerated width that take the eye across the finger. These fingers can also take large stones on wedding and engagement rings. Also, try snake style rings and bangles that offer coverage but do not create a heavy contrast.
Beauty tips
Matte nail varnish will help deflect the light on the nail helping to create a foreshortening effect.
Heirloom’s ring suggestions…
Long slender fingers can experiment with shape. Rings by Rivoir, one of Heirloom’s Ateliers, engagement ring from £2,900.
A large stone, or a group of smaller ones can make a statement, like this diamond ring from Ateliers Dennis and Lavery. This is actually designed to be an engagement and wedding ring.
Also, if you want a larger centre stone, look beyond a diamond! Sapphires come in a rainbow of shades, and can be far more purse friendly. Aquamarine is also a good option as well as emeralds, amethysts and rubies.
Short fleshy fingers
Enhance your hands
You are looking to create a lengthening effect through your choice of jewellery and need settings that create an elongation.
Jewellery tips
Choose stones that are set lengthways along the finger but are of small or medium size. Also, consider outline features that are softer and therefore less graphic. For wedding rings, avoid thin bands that will exaggerate the width of your fingers. Also, avoid large wedding bands, which will cover the whole lower half of your finger. Finally, ensure the ring fits! Too right, and it will make your hands look bigger than they are.
Beauty tips
Use pearlized nail varnish to attract the light and create a lengthening effect down the centre of your nail.
Heirloom’s ring suggestions…
I love marquis diamonds – they will provide the lengthening effect that the finger needs, and in addition, they are more affordable than the traditional round stone.
This hand shape does not have to be restricted with ring designs, as designer Ana de Costa demonstrates with this beautiful Tsavorite and Brown Diamond ring.
Square hands and fingers
Enhance your hands
Your fingers need softening and feminizing elements.
Jewellery tips
Choose round styles and diffused features. Anything too hard or angular will only emphasize the angularity of your fingers, so avoid chunky or graphic styles which will serve to make the hand look more masculine. Princess cut (square) diamonds are a definite no no!
Beauty tips
You can help soften your fingers by painting a line of pearlized nail varnish through the centre of the nail to attract the light and elongate the nail.
Heirloom’s ring suggestions…
Round stones are good for square hands and fingers. Cushion cut stones are also nice, as are oval and pear shapes. Our traditional Audrey ring looks good on any hand, working particularly well for squarer fingers.
I love Sarah Jordan’s rings, and they are perfect for squarer fingers with their soft flowing lines!
Standard shapes
Enhance your hands
You can afford to take a dramatic approach because you aren’t looking to create solutions with your jewellery and you can happily draw attention to your fingers and wrists.
Jewellery tips
Try large square settings, avant garde shapes such as diagonals or angular designs for rings and heavy or light bangle and bracelet designs.
Beauty tips
Keep your nails tidy, it doesn’t matter how nice your hand shape is if they are a ragged mess!
Heirloom’s ring suggestions…
Any of the previous, and the bold and beautiful, Andrew Geoghegan’s ‘Fission’ ring. This will also work on long fingers.
Plus, Rachel Galley’s ‘Snowdrop’ bridal set is both edgy and flattering, and also good for square fingers.
