The first step in choosing the best ring top curtains is deciding on which of the two main varieties would suit your home and taste. The most well-known type of ring top curtain is the grommet, or eyelet, style. A curtain pole is threaded through the eyelets or grommets to create soft folds of fabric hanging down. The other kind of ring top curtain features metal or wooden rings with a clip attached to them that is fastened onto a panel of cloth. The resulting curtain folds are usually much looser than they are in eyelet ring top curtains.
If you want to hang a hemmed piece of cloth, or even a bed sheet, to use as a curtain panel, the wooden or metal rings and clip combinations are best. These are usually easy to clip to the top of hemmed fabric to create an attractive curtain when they're evenly spaced. If you have a lot of wood furniture in your living space, wooden ring top curtains can work well. It's best to keep the wood color in the same tone as your furniture.
The metal curtain rings are usually thinner than the wooden ones. If you have brass in your decor, golden toned rings on top of curtains can help pick up the gold tones in picture frames, a fireplace mantle or other metal pieces for a warm, pulled together look. Silver ring topped curtains can add a cool, modern touch to interiors. Any silver-toned accessories such as lamp bases or bowls can be further enhanced by silver curtain rings and clips.
Buying ready-made grommet, or eyelet, ring top curtains means you will have to have a wooden or metal pole that can be threaded through the rings. If the rings are small, you could use metal curtain hooks instead. The ring-shaped grommets, or eyelets, are embedded into the top of the curtain fabric and are available in different sizes. Typically, the heavier the curtain fabric, the larger the eyelet or grommet holes.
If you prefer for the holes in a ring top style of curtain not to show dramatically, an allover printed fabric may work best. Otherwise, you may want to choose a curtain color in which the metal-trimmed eyelet ring contrasts strikingly. For example, black ring top curtains with silver-toned grommets tend to make a dramatic statement. Since both main types of ring top curtain do create folds or pleats in the fabric panel rather than leave it flat, it's important to follow the measuring directions so you get the best size for your window.