Class ring
A class ring is a ring worn by students and alumni to commemorate their graduation, generally for a high school, college, or university.
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Significance
Today these rings are often personalized by each student, although in years past they were uniform to the school's standard, and only the year would change. A typical class ring depends upon the gender of the person wearing the ring; men's rings are larger than women's. The color is usually gold; however, even that can differ from school to school, and students can order their ring in white gold or silver. The center stone is traditionally one of the school's colors, but the size and cut can be individually customized to the student's desire (as well as the size of the ring). Josten's, Balfour, and ArtCarved are the three major companies that sell class rings to students.
Personalizations
Size
- Men's rings are usually of a thick band with a large stone in the middle
- Women's rings are of a thin band (approximately the width of an engagement ring) with a small stone in the middle
Color
- Gold is the traditional color
- White gold is also available, and usually preferred by girls
- Silver rings are available for some schools and companies
Top
- Most rings will have the name of the school engraved in a circular pattern around the stone (this is simpler for the traditionally larger men's ring)
Karat
- 10 karat gold
- 14 karat gold
- 18 karat gold
Color
- As stated above, the traditional color for the ring is the school's primary color
- Many people also opt for the color of their birthstone
Shape
- Rectangle
- Oval
Cut
- Many times the ring will have cuts inside the stone to give off an extra shine or sparkle; these can vary by company and personal desire
Sides
- The year of graduation is a necessity on at least one side of the ring
- Usually the school's logo, insignia, or motto will be on one side of the ring
- Often a student's academic or social organizations will be on the opposite side of the ring
- Fraternities
- Sororities
- Honor societies
- Sports teams
- Extracurricular activities
- Clubs/civic organizations
Underside
- Many students have their name, initials, or nickname engraved on the underside of the ring, underneath the stone
Trivia
- Neil Armstrong's Purdue University Class of 1955 ring, which he took with him to the moon, is on display on Purdue's campus today.
External links
The following companies are the largest ring makers in the United States for class rings: