You're in a social setting, and start hitting it off with a guy. The two of you have a few things in common, and he seems to have some potential. What do you do next?

Before things progress too far, you should do a ring check. What's that you ask? A ring check, not to be confused with a rain check (although you might want to take one of those if the interaction goes south), is when you take a swift, inconspicuous peek at your suitor's left-hand ring finger.

Performing a ring check takes proper planning and execution. You want to know, but you don't want to seem too presumptuous. As always, I've got you covered. My friend *Jen and I were out on the town again last night. I did the ring check a few times only to find that most of the men were already attached. We jokingly started throwing around a few fun ideas to get 'er done and they weren't half bad. Take a look...

Smooth your hair and look in the general direction of his hand in one swift motion. Most people have a tendency to let their eyes wander nonchalantly during conversational fidgeting. Use it to your advantage.
Wait until he looks away and take a quick peak at his magical digit (not that one...get your mind out of the gutter).
Just let it play out. Positive body language is a good indication that your conversation is going well. Animated hand gestures will give you all the access you need to answer your question.

Try to steer clear of searching for his hand or giving his finger a long, drawn out stare. That can be awkward and make you seem desperate. Also, be aware that this is not foolproof. Sometimes married men don't wear their rings. Even worse, he could be flirting and wearing a ring. If that is the case, bow out of the conversation gracefully and move on. Awareness is key in these situations. Why waste your time or risk embarrassment for something that is easily avoidable?

Have YOU done a ring check?

Smooching Frogs