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What are Toe Rings?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Toe rings are rings worn on the toes, and are now quite popular in the Western World. They are worn as an accessory to dress up the feet, and usually work best with open toed shoes. Historically, in parts of India, these rings, called bichiya were and are still worn by married women to signify their attached state. They are sold in sets, made of silver, and worn on both the left and right toes next to the big toes.

In the US and Canada, toe rings, worn by both men and women are sold singly. They can be made of virtually any metal, though some metals will wear better than others. The weight of the body on 24 karat gold, for instance, will cause the rings to become misshapen. Silver is a frequent choice, as is gold plate over silver. Less expensive metals may be bent to accommodate different sized toes and are a popular choice.

Pair of gold rings.
Pair of gold rings.

If you want to really flash those beautiful toes, look for toe rings fitted with real gemstones. Rings with birthstones, or with other popular gems will cost more but provide considerable accent to the feet. For those who favor toe rings that are more subdued, plain round rings are available in a variety of colors and metals. Rings can also come engraved with your name, or with various symbols. Celtic crosses and carvings are easy to find.

Toe rings with Celtic crosses are quite common.
Toe rings with Celtic crosses are quite common.

More expensive toe rings usually need to be sized for the individual foot. You can download toe measurement devices, or alternately take a piece of string or yarn, wrap it around the toe, where it connects to the foot, and mark and measure the results. Be sure that the string fits over the knuckle of the toe, or else you may have difficulty putting on or taking off the rings.

The following is a measurement guide for toe rings, which follows traditional finger ring sizes:

  • Size 1 = .8125 inches (2.0574 cm)
  • Size 1.5 =.875 inches (2.22cm)
  • Size 2 = .9375 inches (2.38 cm)
  • Size 2.5 = 1 inch (2.54 cm)
  • Size 3 = 1.06 inches (2.69 cm)
  • Size 3.5 =1.125 inches (2.86 cm)
  • Size 4 = 1.1875 inches (3.02 cm)
  • Size 4.5 =1.875 inches (4.77 cm)
  • Size 5 = 1.9375 inches (4.92 cm)
  • Size 5.5 = 2 inches (5.08 cm)
  • Size 6 = 2.06 inches (5.23 cm)
  • Size 6.5 = 2.125 inches (5.4 cm)
  • Size 7 = 2.1875 inches (5.56 cm)
  • Size 7.5 = 2.25 inches (5.72 cm)
  • Size 8 = 2.3125 inches (5.87 cm)
Toe rings are worn on the toes.
Toe rings are worn on the toes.

Depending on they style, sizes may easily go up to size 14, more than a three-inch (7. 62 cm) circumference of the toe. It’s a good idea to check with individual jewelers to see what sizes are available and whether they use standardized finger ring sizes for toe rings.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent WiseGEEK contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

amysamp

I love wearing flip-flops and sandals as much as possible, as I do not like socks and most shoes much. It feels so freeing to just have my feet out to enjoy the weather. I have not gotten a toe ring yet, I don't know if I will either.

Whenever I have tried on a toe ring it has felt uncomfortable, so I have not bought one. I am all about comfort, so until I find one that is comfortable, I am not wearing one.

Also, I don't like the looks of feet, mine included, so I don't think I would want something that would draw attention to my feet.

I can see why toe rings have become so popular, as a lot of us expose our feet in the warm months of the year.

I have seen some pretty toe rings, but none pretty enough to endure the uncomfortable feeling toe rings give me or the focus it would probably bring to my feet.

John57

I am getting used to seeing a lot of people wearing toe rings, and see more of them all the time.

This is something that I just can't stand for myself though. I don't like anything between my toes, and wearing a toe ring would drive me absolutely crazy.

I won't even wear flip flops because I don't like having something between my toes. My friends think I am crazy, but that's the way I've always been.

One of my friends spent quite a bit of money on a 14k toe ring. Of course I thought she was crazy to spend that much money on something like that, but she wears it all the time.

She says she would rather have a toe ring that would last and look good than to buy one that looked cheap.

honeybees

I am the type of person who enjoys choosing accessories to go with an outfit even more than buying the outfit.

I love all kinds of jewelry, and toe rings are no exception. I don't usually wear them in the winter, but as soon as it is warm enough to wear sandals, I have my toe rings on.

When I was in Ireland for my daughter's wedding, I bought some Celtic toe rings in a quaint Irish shop. These are my favorites and I get compliments on them almost every time I wear them.

Whenever I can wear sandals, I feel like my outfit is not complete unless I am wearing a toe ring.

Sara007

Whenever I am on vacation somewhere tropical I love to buy toe rings. They not only make a great souvenir, but if you get them made our out of regionally unique material they can be a bit of a conversation piece too.

One of my favorite fitted toe rings is from Cambodia and it is silver with an amber stone in it. The stone was local, so I always have a bit of a story to tell people whenever they ask me about what I am wearing.

What do you think are the nicest pieces of jewelry/toe rings you have picked up over the years? Does yours have an interesting story around it?

burcidi

@chivebasil-- I never try on toe rings before buying them. Usually toe rings are packaged, so it's not possible to try them on, and even if they are not, I don't think it's appropriate to do that.

After all, if I don't like it, put it back and someone else buys it like that, it won't be hygienic. I always wash my jewelry before wearing them, but maybe some people don't.

I know the size can be tricky with toe rings and I have bought ones that ended up being too big for me. I try and estimate which is a good fit by comparing it to ones I already have.

You can also purchase fitted toe rings. Especially if they are gold, some stores will custom fit them for you for free. These high end stores might actually let you try them on, if they take the responsibility of wiping it after.

burcinc

The use of jewelry in Indian culture is interesting. I saw women wearing bichiya in an Indian film I watched. The boys were able to tell apart who was married and who was not by looking at the girls' feet to see if there were toe rings.

The film also showed a wedding, where the groom placed the gold toe rings on the bride's toes himself during the wedding ceremony. It was such an interesting, and also beautiful scene. It looked like the toe rings symbolized the attachment of these two people who were strangers before.

animegal

When I was traveling with my friends we stopped and got ourselves matching gold toe rings to remember the trip by. We were lucky and found a shop that gave us a great deal on the rings, as we were buying quite a few. I wouldn't say it was quite as cheap as buying wholesale toe rings but it was inexpensive.

What I liked about the shop we went to is they helped us choose the right sized toe rings. A lot of the cheaper metals we were looking at had adjustable bands, but with the gold you really needed to get sized. It was pretty easy, so don't be afraid to ask the store you are in.

ysmina

When I first bought toe rings, I was unsure if they would hurt my toes when I walked. But surprisingly, it's very comfortable. I've seen people wear toe rings on different toes, but I prefer my second toes because they are the longest and thinnest one out of the bunch. I don't even fell it on most of the time.

I love wearing toe rings in the summer because my feet are always showing. I've matched my white gold toe rings with a white gold anklet, and it looks very nice together. I don't wear toe rings in winter though, because toe rings do become a bit uncomfortable in socks and shoes.

chivebasil

I would like to get a toe ring but I am a little confused about the etiquette when buying one. Can you just try them on in the store? This is the way it works for finger rings but I can see it being a little different when you are trying to cram a ring onto your toe.

Also, how much can I expect to pay for a toe ring if I wanted to get a nice one? I have thought about getting a gold or silver toe ring but I don't want to pay a huge price for something that spends most of its time inside my shoe. God, that makes me wonder if anyone has a diamond toe ring?

whiteplane

I wear a toe ring that I bought while I was down in the Bahamas. It is made of turquoise and has that signature bright blue color.

I have worn it every day for almost 5 ears now. I love it. It is so subtle but it adds a nice accent to my foot if anyone should find themselves staring at it. It is also not as gaudy as some finger rings or other pieces of jewelry. Most people have no idea I'm wearing it at all.

I have shopped around for other toe rings but I can't find one I like as much as the one I already have. Looks like I got the perfect one first time.

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    • Pair of gold rings.
      Pair of gold rings.
    • Toe rings with Celtic crosses are quite common.
      By: kikkerdirk
      Toe rings with Celtic crosses are quite common.
    • Toe rings are worn on the toes.
      By: lukasvideo
      Toe rings are worn on the toes.
    • Toe rings usually work best when wearing open-toed shoes.
      By: Matthew Cole
      Toe rings usually work best when wearing open-toed shoes.