Den Handgelenkumfang richtig ausmessen oder „Wie bekomme ich heimlich den Handgelenkumfang raus?“

Correctly measure the wrist circumference or “How do I secretly find out the wrist circumference?”

Ahhh, the eternal suffering – you want to give your loved one a beautiful bracelet, but you just don’t know what wrist size to choose.

With this blog post I would like to help you with this and have prepared both the correct technique for measuring arm circumference for you, as well as some tips and tricks on how to more or less secretly determine the wrist circumference for a bracelet.

1. Measure your wrist circumference correctly

What you need:

- A tape measure, a strip of paper (about 25cm long and 1-2cm wide) or a string
- Pen and paper for marking and noting the measurements
- If you use a strip of paper or a string, you will also need a ruler

Step 1:
Wrap the tape measure, strip of paper or string around your wrist.

Wrap the tape measure, paper strip or string around the wrist you want to measure.
The band should fit well, but not too tight or too loose.

Step 2:
Use a pen to mark the spot on the strip of paper where the ends overlap.

If you use a tape measure, you can immediately write down the correct measurement and you're done measuring.
Once you have taken the measurement with the paper strip or string, use your pen to mark the spot where the two ends meet. Alternatively, you can just carefully hold the string in place with your fingers if you don't want to paint it. Just be careful not to slip.

Step 3:
To determine your wrist circumference, measure your strip of paper from the beginning to the marked line while lying flat on the table.

Lay your strip of paper or string on a flat surface and grab your ruler. Now you can measure the distance from the beginning of the tape to your mark and then write down this value.

2. What does "measure without adding" mean and why should you do it?

Now it depends on the item description of your bracelet. My bracelets and those of most others are designed for you to measure your wrist circumference without adding anything. This means that the measurements must be given as described above, without adding a few centimeters.

A bracelet with some space to the wrist
Since I and many other jewelry designers add an appropriate amount of ribbon or chain to make it fit you properly, you don't have to worry about this.
If you add 1-2cm because you think it might be too tight, you might end up with a bracelet that's way too big. So in most cases you can trust the person who makes the bracelet for you :)

If it doesn't say anywhere in the text that you should measure without adding anything, it's best to ask beforehand how you should measure your wrist so that there are no misunderstandings or complaints later.

3. Secretly measure your wrist circumference

But what if you don’t have the wrist you want to measure?
I'll tell you a few tricks that will give you a good chance of finding out the wrist size for a bracelet gift, secretly and unnoticed.

Tip 1 – The clock

Determine your wrist circumference using a watch

Does the person you are giving the gift to wear a watch? Try borrowing it for a few minutes, putting it around your wrist and fastening it where your partner always wears it.
Now push the watch up your arm as far as possible. It should fit well, but not too tight and not slip down.

The place where the watch now sits on you is the circumference of your partner's wrist. Mark the position of the watch, pull it off your arm and measure this spot with a tape measure or strip of paper. You have now secretly found out the wrist circumference for your bracelet gift!

If this trick doesn't work for you because your arm circumference is larger than that of the watch, don't worry, I have a second trick for you to secretly measure your wrist circumference:

Lay the watch flat and measure from the inside of the clasp to the hole that is used the most. Alternatively to a watch, a bracelet can also be used as a measurement.

Tip 2 – The shirt cuff / the cuff

You can easily find out your arm circumference using a cuff or shirt sleeve.

For men or women who often wear shirts, you can also measure the shirt cuff. This usually sits comfortably with a little room, but still snug on the wrist.
Measure the cuff from button to buttonhole and write down this measurement.

If you have already seen the person you are giving the gift to in a shirt, you may be able to estimate quite well how tight the cuff is and then subtract an inch or two to get the value without adding anything.

You can easily find out your arm circumference using a cuff or shirt sleeve. It also works on the cuffs of a sweater - provided they fit well. Fold the cuffs together and measure from left to right with some distance between them. The distance is important because sweaters are usually a bit thicker and we only need the inside diameter without the fabric.

Multiply the number you have just measured by two and you have your wrist circumference!

Tip 3 – The Twin

Well, most people won't actually have a twin on hand, but maybe you know someone who you would estimate to have a similar wrist size.
A girlfriend, a boyfriend, a sister, a brother, mom, dad, a fourth cousin…
Once you have found someone who you think might fit your measurements, just ask if you can measure his/her wrist.

Tip 4 – The gripper

Next time you see each other, grab his/her wrist in an appropriate situation and try to remember the distance between your thumb and your index or middle finger. Did your thumb and middle finger touch? Was there about an inch of space between them?
Later you can measure the dimension with a tape measure or ruler and write it down.

Tip 5 – The Rumor

Maybe a well thought out, invented rumor will do!
Did you know that women with a wrist circumference of over 16cm are said to have a particularly healthy heart? No? I read that on Instagram today. Maybe we should measure you, just out of curiosity!
For men, a value of over 18cm is said to be particularly healthy ;)

Of course, this is all just made-up nonsense, but maybe this way or another made-up rumor will help you secretly find out the wrist size of your target person!

Tip 6 – The Average

If all the previous tips are not possible, then maybe the average will help you.
Yes, there is a general average wrist size. This is 16cm for women and 18cm for men.
So if all else fails, you might want to base your decision on the average wrist circumference.

Now you are optimally prepared for direct and indirect measurements and can get started right away! If you have any questions or are missing an idea that might have worked well for you, then feel free to send me an email!