Choosing Your Class Ring
Photo Credit: Virginia Military Institute
Emma Kitchens, writer
March 14, 2012
Filed under Student Life, Student Section
Class rings are a way to remember your high school experiences when you are thirty years down the road. They hold a certain sentimental value to the particular student. Some students design their rings based on their friends, other design their rings based on particular accomplishments they made in high school.
Some of you may not have paid for your ring yet, but Jostens will be returning to North Augusta on March 20, during your lunches for those of you who haven’t paid yet. There is a $50 deposit.
This is how you go about designing your ring:
You choose the basic ring design from the different collections. There is the Achiever collection, which looks like a classic high school class ring. Then there is the Heritage collection which looks similar to the Achiever collection but it has a rectangular stone on it. There is also the Signature collection which has a bunch of different ring designs with them. You also have the Tradewinds collection which is basically a collection of all of the collections. The final collection is the Basic collection, which is a simple design. After you decide which collection, you choose your type of metal. This is really where the bulk of the cost comes from.
After you have chosen your ring design, you choose your ring color and cut. There are fifteen different colors to choose from. You have the twelve birth stones, and then you have a white pearl type, a grey stone, and then the black onyx. After you chose the ring color, you choose the cut. The first cut is the premier cut, then you have the sunburst cut, the fireray cut, the india cut, and then there is the quadra cut. Each cut has its own features to it and looks different depending on how the lights hit them.
If you choose a ring design that allows you to have a side design, then you choose your ring side. There are many different types of sides; you have sports, activities beyond school, future careers, class exclusives, diamond dates, expressions, etc. Basically anything that involves your life, Jostens has a ring side design for it.
After you decide all of this, you choose what kind of finish you want for your ring, if you want a smooth band or a textured band, and then the inside engraving. After you choose all of this, you pay for your ring, and then you’ll receive it in October of your junior year.
Parents will use the excuse that you will never wear your ring after high school, so they aren’t going to pay a lot for your ring. Let me just say, this is not true. I have never taken my ring off, other than to clean it or to let others admire it. I have coworkers who have been out of school for many years who always wear their ring. I know I personally love my ring, and recommend that everyone purchase one. If, for some reason you get it and don’t like it, you could always either change the designs with Jostens or just pawn the ring. Senior, Stephen McDaniel says to anyone who hasn’t decided yet, “Buy one because when you become a junior, and get your ring, you finally feel like an upperclassman.”
Why are people buying class rings? The answers range from, “I thought it was cool and my siblings had one,” answered Sophomore Shane LeDonne, to, ” ‘Cuz everyone was getting one,” said Junior Jordon Barnes. Stephen said, “I thought it was cool and when I received it, I finally felt like a junior.”
All in all, class rings are a good thing. Yeah, they can be expensive, but that is why Jostens offers payment plans. Or offers rings that literally cost only $60. Don’t let money be the excuse to not get a ring. You will regret it later on in life.
