I was so frustrated with these curtains at first. Probably because each panel weighs 10+ pounds, and I was trying to hang them myself. If you can have someone help you hang them, please do, it will make the process a lot easier. I have custom drapes all over my home, but I had never used drapery rings before. My first attempt failed miserably, because I had no idea what I was doing. Also, the drapery hooks already attached to the heading of the curtain, are not spaced evenly apart. Some are further apart than others, and I only used every other hook, and still used 14 rings per panel. Be prepared, remember that the panels are double wide, so you need twice the rings to hang them... Once I removed some of the pre-attached hooks and re-positioned them so they would be even, they looked lovely. The curtains do not do well using the rod pocket, they are much to thick, and will not close or open at all. I have 2 of them on an 85" wide window in my dining room. I tried using the rod pocket first, with no rings, big mistake. The curtains are so thick, that it left just abouta 12" space between then when fully opened. I coulnd't push them open any further because of the thickness, so the rings improved that greatly. They now open and close with ease, and look natural, not too big or too small. To make a long story short, have someone help you, and get at least 14 drapery rings PER panel. They look so much better hung on rings than using the pole pocket : ) Overall a GREAT value.