Get the ring style right, and accentuate the beauty of the hand
As per my previous blog on hand and finger shapes, we are going deeper with some engagement ring style advice – starting with long fingers.
Physical Appearance
With these hands, fingers are long and slender. Palms are more rectangular than square. Middle finger is at least as long as the palm.
Enhance Long Fingers
Long fingers allow for dramatic styles and elegant designs to create a shortening effect.
Engagement Ring Tips
These hands suit bands with exaggerated width that take the eye across the finger. These fingers can also take large stones on wedding and engagement rings, although too large will make the finger look overwhelmed.
Rubover (bezel) settings can enhance the sizes of smaller stones, providing more impact on these hands. Consider sapphires, spinel or topaz if you want a bigger centre stone without the diamond price tag.
Slender bands work well when stacked together. Too thin and the ring looks lost, and can make the finger look ‘twig-like’. But a simple elegant round stone will still look very smart.
Good Stone Shapes
Oval, Cushion, Square Emerald (Asscher), Emerald (horizontally worn) are great shapes for long fingers. Round stones are effective on all hand shapes.
Long fingers — engagement ring shape suggestions
Engagement ring style advice with some shapes for consideration that will look good on long fingers. There is still an endless list of options out there, so keep more of the principles in mind, rather than getting bogged down on the ring styles. We approach each client commission based on what we’ve been told about wearer tastes and styles, no two rings are exactly the same. However I haven’t had a client make a bad choice yet!
The great thing about long fingers is that they are not in need of lengthening solutions. So this is a great engagement ring style that feels classic, but has a modern look. Emerald diamonds have amazing sparkle (well, ours do so I am going to assume this is the norm). For wearers who like timeless.
A chunky emerald shape centre stone flanked by two long baguettes is great on long fingers, it builds up a feeling of presence and drama. We are still in classic territory here, but this engagement ring will look up to date whatever era.
Large stones look good on long fingers, but there is a reality check with diamonds, the bigger the size, the bigger the bank balance. It is all marketing, there are so many glorious colours of centre stone to use in engagement rings, and they don’t have to be the price of a small country.
Round stones are a fail safe on any hand shape. They can look a bit overpowering on long fingers if they are too big, and become unwieldy. Here, a round brilliant diamond has been framed in a rubover setting, for added volume. The effect could be replicated just as easily with sapphires, rubies or other coloured stones. The metal colour will influence appearance too.
Check out this ring in our Online Store (she’s called Judy)
Square emerald stones are also known as Asscher cut diamonds by the company that created a variation. The nice thing about these shapes are that the octagonal look ensures that the stone doesn’t look too angular on the finger, it is a softer feel. The broad band is elegant on longer fingers, as it doesn’t overpower them.
Cushion shape (erroneously referred to as cushion cut) stones are either square or rectangular. The squares are particularly popular, like plump pillows they live up to their name. They offer a nice symmetry which is good for long fingers. Here, an intense yellow fancy colour diamond is set in a gold halo. But other coloured stones could be used to similar effect.
Long Fingers Wearer Example
Here, our Lottie engagement ring was chosen by our client for his fiancee. She has very long and slender fingers (ring size is H.5 – UK standard is M) and he didn’t want a standard round stone, the idea was to choose a fancy shape to create something different. The ring setting itself is fairly classic, but the band is wider. This is perfect on a long finger, it creates some impact on the hand. At the same time, the stone proportions ensured that while it makes a statement, it doesn’t overpower the hand.
More hand shape ring information
Visit the other hand shape blogs to get more detail on looks and styles that will work best with each shape.