Class Rings for graduation

Well - they certainly are conversation starters (and now that my son is at VMI it has become a great way to get into barracks- I just keep the ring finger prominently displayed and the guard automatically points out the alumni barracks sign-in sheet while non alum parents sit outside impatiently waiting for their rat to appear.) I see that the corps now also gets Steel "Combat"rings- don't know when this "tradition started- it makes some sense from the standpoint of not wearing a $1000 hunk of gold in the field, but it does sort of point out the absurdity of the size and expense of these things when they have become so big and so expensive that you can't wear it at the time when you most want to remember your roots.
The newest members of the VMI ring family have the word "Mizpah" on their ring which is from the Bible- this comes from Genesis and means "watchtower" the passage reads: "Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another". This seems like absolutely the perfect description of what the VMI ring symbolizes-the bond of brother Rats between each other. So wear the ring with pride but don't bankrupt yourself buying it- it's value is not in bling but in the ties between you!
 
Well, I have been reading along, and now with a re-read, I just realized if my DH and I follow the pattern, we'll be purchasing two pricy rings in a few years. :eek: I guess it is cheaper than a year at civilian college though.
 
fencersmother said:
I guess it is cheaper than a year at civilian college though.
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My mom used to joke that she paid for my education in gray hairs. :biggrin:

She would run her fingers through her hair, pointing at the gray ones, and say, "See? See? That's Strength of Materials!" :yllol:

I miss Mom. :frown:
 
Class Ring ?

What's the protocol on class rings when you get married? Do you wear your class ring with your wedding band on the same hand? Is it personal preference or is there some sort of general rule? Thx -

Unless things have changed, your son will receive all the information he needs during the beginning of his 3rd year. The SA's contract companies like Herff Jones or Jostens to make the rings.

Speaking from my experience at USNA, one side of the ring is the USNA crest and the other is the class crest. This is mandatory. What the Mid gets to order is the type of stone (if any), encrustations, interior engraving, etc. Also, what kind of metal to use (Yellow Gold, White Gold, Yellow alloy, etc.). They will be given a brochure with all their options.

As for how much is spent, my ring ran about $1300, but that was a LONG time ago and gold has become scary expensive. A lot will depend on whether they choose a real stone or a man-made copy. Personally, my attitude was that I didn't slog my way through NAPS and USNA to have ANYTHING fake on my ring, so I went with a real amethyst, which is still their, albeit seriously beaten up (it's a soft stone). My Dad, God bless him, paid for my ring. That's the usual route, but by no means mandatory.

I remember hearing stories of guys spending $10K+ on their rings because they ordered diamonds and such. Other guys went with plane-jane simplicity. Hell, some guys knocked a small piece off Bancroft Hall and had that polished and set in their rings.

As for "Does everyone get one", I can recall only having met ONE person who didn't get a ring. While many do not wear them on a daily basis, NOT getting one is almost unheard of.

As for me, I wear it every single day right next to my wedding band:


Good luck
 
This year's cost for USNA Class Ring: The basic mens large ring, imitation stone that came with the ring, dark antique finish, two lines of engraving, open back so that stone can be replaced at a later date: $825.00 Rings were paid for this past week (if not paid when ordered in October) and are to be delivered to the Mids within the next week. The have a few days they can wear and then are put away until ring dance.

As for real stones: they can be purchased through Josten's (this year's vendor) The cost ranged between 400 and 4000 for real sapphire. During the ordering period, the jewelry store on the corner in DTA had stone showings on the weekends around order time. If the stone was ordered then and paid for before Nov. 1 they gave a 20% discount. They had very nice stones in a very wide range of prices. Son got his "real" stone there.

Josten's warrants (insures the ring for a period of time after purchase) if you buy the stone at a different vendor you should take out an insurance policy on the stone and ring. (USAA is good for this - if Mid has renters insurance through USAAA, then all that is needed is a rider)

On the USNAPCGA.ORG web site there is a link for the Class of 2009 Ring Brochure.

http://www.usnapcga.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=41&Itemid=29

Catalog without pricing for 2010 is available from Josten's site:
http://aps.jostens.com/jostens/?affiliateId=APS_NAVY#
(Brochure is a bit hard to view on their site)
 
In my day, everyone got a class ring. You could expense about $500 of it via your midshipman account and you could get the basic ring (gold plus onyx) for that amount. So, in the view of USNA brass, there was no reason not to order one b/c there was no money out of pocket, so to speak (recognizing that money in your account that was spent was money you wouldn't get back upon graduation, but I digress).

One guy in our class didn't want a ring. Ironically, it was the person who designed the class crest. He was told that he could go to the Dant and Supe (both grads, of course) and explain why he didn't want to order one. He decided to order one.:yllol:

However, this was a long time ago and things may be different today in terms of pressure to get a ring. Still, it's a big deal and my guess is that 99%+ still get one. In terms of who buys it, I bought my ring and my parents bought the stones. Many mids paid for the rings themselves. In some cases, parents did it or helped out.
 
^^^ Not too much has changed! In my Mids circle of friends, most of the parents are paying for the ring, with the Mids paying for their stone upgrade. I do not know of the option to expense through the Mid Store account - at least my Mid never expressed that option.

The bigger issue this year was whether to order a combat ring or not. (less expensive version to go with the regular ring - I believe you have to order the real ring and then this combat version is an option) My Mid did not want it.

Personally, if it is not safe to be wearing the real ring then you probably do not want to be wearing any ring!
 
Women's Rings

We are obviously a LONG way off from having to think about all of this ring stuff, but I was curious about the look of the women's rings. Are they just like the men's, but smaller? These conversations being typically about what is worn by American males, there is a lot of talk about the SIZE of the rings. I am more curious about the look or style of the women's rings. Or do the women have the option of just getting a smaller size "normal" ring or something that looks different from the men's ring?
 
No one has commented on the "ring poop" that plebes must recite to a Firstie with their brand new ring. "Oh my god sir! What a beautiful ring! What a crass mass of brass and glass! It must have cost a fortune! May I touch it please sir?!" That's how it goes at USMA. Anything similar at USNA or USAFA?
 
Dadandgrad:

If you haven't seen it before, here is a hilarious spoof of the "ring poop" - performed by some New Cadets of the Class of 2012 at the Beast talent show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfTezw_wSmg

"Oh my god sir! What a beautiful ring! What a crass mass of brass and glass! What a bold mold of rolled gold! What a cool jewel you got from your school! See how is sparkles and shines! It must have cost a fortune! May I touch it please sir?!"
 
other cool USNA rings

Check out the Commander in Chiefs trophy/Eagle Bank Bowl Walnut that the football players got. It sits on our mantle now, until he gets his own house/apt.

For you USAFA/USMA parents, I know you haven't heard of this ring cause it's been so long since the trophy has been out of the care of the US Naval Academy.....:yllol:

JK.... :smile:
 
Hey Mike: How is he going to get all those rings on his fingers. He will be arrested for carrying brass knuckles. He will have to set up a shadow box for the one he has and the next three and then a graduation ring.:thumb:
 
He hopes to have all five if the football winds remain the same, thanks.

He is on summer cruise in the carribean right now. I remember those days all too well. I love the smell of JP-5 clinging to everything....
 
Just_A_Mom said:
Dadandgrad:

If you haven't seen it before, here is a hilarious spoof of the "ring poop" - performed by some New Cadets of the Class of 2012 at the Beast talent show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfTezw_wSmg

"Oh my god sir! What a beautiful ring! What a crass mass of brass and glass! What a bold mold of rolled gold! What a cool jewel you got from your school! See how is sparkles and shines! It must have cost a fortune! May I touch it please sir?!"
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"Crass mass of brass and glass- bold mold of rolled gold": Boy is that an understatement! My son just ordered his VMI ring this week (they will get them the weekend before Thanksgiving). For those parents goofy enough to say "I'll pay for the ring"- make sure you put top end limits on the thing!:eek:
Typical: my input a couple weeks ago:
"My ring is too big- although I wear it everywhere- I am constantly belting it into the wall etc...If I had to do it over I would have gotten a smaller ring and the ones they are now offering are a lot bigger than mine. Also- the faceted cut chips way too easily- I would have gotten a smooth synthetic stone if I had to do it again- after all who cares about the gold content and natural vs synthetic stone unless you are gonna pawn the ring."
What he actually did:
" VMI has the biggest ring in the country so I figured I should get the biggest ring they offered - 44 pennyweight. It's ok though because I have a big hand. (Maybe he turned into the Incredible Hulk since Christmas and I didn't find out yet??). Also- the faceted cut London Blue-Topaz really looked good so I got that". I'm glad that the experience of 31 years of banging this ring off the wall didn't bypass him completely.

Total bill is around $2k:redface: I guess it's only a once in a lifetime thing but he is on the hook for the Ring Figure weekend bill- did has forked over his last bucks for ring related stuff- !!
On the place side, from the pictures in the brochure- the thing is pretty impressive, although all of that engraving will be just smooth gold 30 years from now.
 
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bruno said:
Total bill is around $2k:redface:
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Oh Bruno you got off cheap - my son has a USMA friend whose ring cost over $6K. :eek: His grandfather told him he would pay for the ring and to order whatever he wanted....so he did.
 
There should be a show called "Pimp My Ring" about some of the ones I've seen, up to $12,000. Let's just say every place a diamond could be put in an 18KT gold ring, one got stuck there, as well as every other available frill! :eek:

I had one sponsor son who didn't get one. Didn't wear rings, never planned to wear one, wonder what he's gonna do when/if he gets married...:rolleyes:
 
Capt MJ said:
There should be a show called "Pimp My Ring" about some of the ones I've seen, up to $12,000. Let's just say every place a diamond could be put in an 18KT gold ring, one got stuck there, as well as every other available frill! :eek:
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I can believe it- the flyer from Jostens had all kinds of diamonds plugged into various parts of the ring- I'm not even sure how the heck you could wear the thing without cutting yourself to pieces. I did manage to dumb down the gold content on my sons ring by pointing out that the 10kt was much more durable than 18KT and then drawing attention to how much my 10 kt ring had worn (and this version of my ring is less than 15 years old as I had my first one stolen in Korea, and the replacement was lost when my then 2 year old son flung daddies ring off the fourth floor balcony into the street below in Damascus Syria- needless to say it was several years before my wife surprised me by buying VMI ring #3 for a birthday present!)
 
Ha! You should all have a son who says, "I gotta have platinum, even though Josten's says they haven't done it before."

SO glad I didn't say I'd fund the thing!
 
A lot of money is spent on class rings, and there is a lot of pride in receiving them. Yet, a number of academy graduates I have seen no longer wear their rings. Why?
 
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