Ring sizing, fittings and collection: short, planned visits

Treat sizing, fitting and collection as short appointments of their own rather than drop-ins at the counter. Measure fingers at a sensible time of day with the right gauges, check fit on a prototype or before the final polish when the design allows, and make collection a small moment: check the ring on the finger, explain care, hand over certificates and paperwork. Clients book these short slots online, and you prepare each one knowing exactly whose ring is coming out of the safe.

Fingers change with temperature, time of day and activity. A size taken on a cold morning can be tight on a summer evening. Wide bands need a different size from narrow ones for the same finger. A knuckle larger than the base of the finger changes how a ring goes on and stays in place. These details are hard to explain by phone and easy to show in person with a set of gauges in the right widths.

For a bespoke piece, a fitting before stones are set or before the final polish lets you adjust comfort and proportions while it's still easy. It also reassures clients who have only seen a sketch. Keep it short and focused: fit, proportion, how it sits next to a wedding band if there will be one.

Resizing requests come from outside your own orders too: an inherited ring, a ring that became tight over the years. Take them in on a short drop-off slot, check the ring for thin shanks, stones close to the resizing area and earlier repairs, then give a price and a ready date. Write a receipt describing the ring and any existing wear, and book the collection when it's done.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes, one place per slot. Clients pick a service, then a free slot.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. These short slots can sit between longer bench sessions, for example at the start and end of the day, repeated each week on chosen weekdays until a date.

Collection is the moment the client has waited for. Have the ring cleaned, in its box, with its paperwork ready. Check the fit on the finger, explain how to care for it (what to avoid wearing it for, how to clean it, when to have claws or stones checked), and hand over any certificates. For an engagement ring, the buyer may want to see it alone; booking the collection in their name keeps the surprise.

The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new-booking email. Ask for the order name or reference so you can prepare the right piece. The note can't be edited once the booking exists, so put the question in the service description. When the ring is ready, create a collection slot for the client and book them in from your calendar if you prefer: first and last name are required, email and phone optional.

Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list and let them know, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. With calendar sync (Google, iPhone, Mac), fittings and collections sit next to your bench work. Book doesn't take payments; it handles appointments. It costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.