The Engagement Ring Countdown: How Far Ahead to Order in Pakistan — and How to Find Her Size Without Asking

Every October, some version of the same message lands on our WhatsApp: "Bhai, the engagement is Saturday. Can you make it by Friday?"

We love that message. It means someone is about to have a very good weekend. But a Zanvari ring is not sitting in a drawer waiting for you — it is cast, set, polished and plated after you order it, by hand, in Saddar. So this is the post we wish every groom-to-be read in September: exactly how far ahead to order, what the season calendar looks like, and — the part nobody has written properly — how to find out her ring size without her finding out about the ring.

The honest maths of made to order

A made-to-order ring takes 10–16 business days in our workshop — that is the casting, the stone setting, the polishing, the rhodium plating and the quality check, one ring at a time. Then the courier needs a few days to reach you. And if your size guess is wrong, a free size exchange means the ring comes back to us and goes out again.

Put those together and the countdown looks like this:

The short version: six weeks is comfortable, four is fine, three is a phone call.

The season calendar

Pakistan's engagement season runs from November through early February, pauses for Ramadan (expected to begin around 8 February 2027), and picks up again after Eid in mid-March. Working backwards from the popular dates:

• Late-November engagement — order by mid-October. If you are reading this in September, you are early. Good.
• December — order by the first week of November.
• January — order by late November, before December's orders stack up.
• First week of February, just before Ramadan — order by New Year.
• After Eid, mid-March — order by early February. Eid week is not a week to be waiting on a courier.

We quote 10–16 business days all year. What changes in season is how much room there is at the long end of that range, so the further into winter your date sits, the more you want to be at six weeks rather than four.

How to find her ring size without asking

This is the part that keeps grooms up at night, so here it is, ranked from most reliable to most desperate.

One thing first: our sizes are the literal inner diameter in millimetres. 17MM means the ring is 17 millimetres across on the inside. Not the numbered Asian scale, not US sizes. That makes everything below easier, because a ruler is all you need.

1. Recruit an accomplice. Her sister, her best friend, her mother. Someone who can ask "what's your ring size?" without it meaning anything. This is the most reliable method by a distance, and it comes with a bonus: someone will be crying in the background of the photos who knew all along.

2. Borrow a ring she already wears — on that finger. Wait until she takes one off, and measure the inside from edge to edge with a ruler in millimetres. That number is her Zanvari size. If you can't get a ruler to it, trace the inside of the ring on paper, or press it gently into a bar of soap and measure the ring-shaped dent later, like the professional you now are. The finger matters: a ring she wears on her index finger is not her ring-finger size. Most Pakistani brides wear the engagement ring on the right hand and move it to the left after the nikkah, but families differ — this is also a job for the accomplice.

3. Look for a stamp. Imported rings often have a size engraved inside — a US number like 6 or 7, or a UK letter. Our ring size guide has the conversion chart: US 6½ is 17MM, US 7¾–8 is 18MM.

4. Try it on yourself. Slide her ring onto your own finger and mark with a pen exactly where it stops. Then photograph that finger next to a ruler and WhatsApp it to us. It is not glamorous, but it works.

5. The decoy ring. Buy a cheap fashion ring and give it to her casually. See which finger she puts it on and whether it spins. If it spins, go down a millimetre; if it stops at the knuckle, go up.

6. The string method — carefully. Wrap a strip of paper around her finger (asleep on the sofa counts), mark where it overlaps, and measure that length in millimetres. Then divide by 3.14 to get the diameter. Most people get this wrong by measuring in centimetres or forgetting to divide; the size guide walks through the maths.

7. Measure at the right time of day. Fingers swell in the heat and in the evening. A ring measured at 4 pm in a Karachi October will feel loose on a January morning in Islamabad. Aim for the middle — late afternoon, indoors.

8. When all else fails: 17MM. It is the most common women's size we make, and the middle of our range. Combine it with the safety net below and you are more likely right than wrong.

The safety net

Every un-engraved Zanvari ring comes with a free size exchange within 30 days. Guess, order, and if it doesn't fit, it comes back to us and goes out again in the right size. That is why the countdown above gives you extra weeks: the exchange takes another production cycle.

The one exception is engraving. An engraved ring cannot be exchanged for another design or refunded, and a size change means remaking it for Rs 1,500. So if you want her name inside the band — and it is a lovely thing to want — be sure of the size first, or be sure of your accomplice.

When you are out of time and out of ideas

There is no wrong answer in the engagement rings under Rs 20,000 collection — more than sixty of them, all D/VVS1 moissanite in rhodium-plated 925 silver, all made to order. If you want the one most people choose, it is the Prismatic Stone solitaire, and when people ask which carat, the answer is two.

The last-minute checklist

• The size — one method from the list above, two if you can.
• The engraving decision — Rs 2,000, arranged when you order, not after.
• The delivery address — yours, not hers. Cash on delivery means a courier ringing a doorbell and asking for money. Her ammi will answer that door.
• The box — comes with the ring, along with a pouch and a care cloth. Do not put the ring in your pocket without the box. Ask us how we know.
• The date, on WhatsApp — tell us when it is. We plan the week around dates.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should I order an engagement ring in Pakistan?

Six weeks is comfortable, four is fine, three is a phone call. A made-to-order ring takes 10–16 business days to make, plus courier time, plus a buffer if the size needs exchanging.

How long does a made-to-order engagement ring take?

10–16 business days in the workshop, then a few days with the courier. Tell us your date on WhatsApp and we will tell you if it is realistic.

How do I find her ring size without asking?

Measure the inside of a ring she wears on her ring finger, in millimetres — that number is her Zanvari size. Or ask her sister. Or read the eight methods above.

What is the most common women's ring size in Pakistan?

17MM is the most common size we make. 16MM suits slim fingers; 18MM and 19MM suit wider ones.

What if I get the size wrong?

Un-engraved rings can be exchanged for a different size free within 30 days. Engraved rings can be remade in a new size for Rs 1,500.

Can I get an engagement ring in a week?

Sometimes. WhatsApp us the design and the date before you order and we will give you a straight answer.

Third-generation, made to order in Saddar, Karachi, since 1947. Browse engagement rings under Rs 20,000, or WhatsApp us on 0342 8269771 with a date and we'll work the countdown backwards with you. First order? Use code SILVER10 for 10% off.