High school senior ring question

[Priorityonecb]

We have daughters. We offered our oldest dd a class ring, or the Claddagh ring she had been wanting. She went with the Claddagh, and has worn it every single day since! We will give our second daughter the same choice.

To add to the discussion, dd1 did letter but had no interest in a varsity jacket. We expect dd2 to letter as well, and it will be her choice if she wants a jacket or not. The "problem" here is that varsity jackets are too heavy for our mild NC winters so they hardly get worn!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

My daughter is a Senior this year and she didn't want a class ring. I knew she would never wear it, and I really didn't want to push it so after talking about it we decided not to get it. I didn't buy one, and I have never regretted it.

 

[tlbwriter]

To add to the discussion, dd1 did letter but had no interest in a varsity jacket. We expect dd2 to letter as well, and it will be her choice if she wants a jacket or not. The "problem" here is that varsity jackets are too heavy for our mild NC winters so they hardly get worn!

Maybe you can bring back the varsity sweater!

 

[csharpwv]

I REALLY wanted a class ring - since both my brothers got them when they were juniors - PLUS - all of my friends had theirs.

Well, the problem was that BOTH of my brothers were in college by the time I was a Junior - so the budget was a lot tighter.

So I finally bugged my parents until they bought me one - and I wore it for my Junior Year my senior year - and my Freshman year of college. After that it seemed to lose its relevance and has been relegated to a dresser drawer since then.

Do I regret getting it? NO WHY? Becuase gold holds it value and I could easily sell it right now for more than what we paid for it back in 1997/1998 (graduated in 2000)

When I was in high school almost all of my classmates had class rings. And YES most of the guys gave their rings to their girl. However - one condition from my parents in that if they buy the ring "I" wear the ring. Not to be given, loaned, or worn by anyone else.

It's a very 'trendy' thing - sometimes its a trend - other times it isn't.
We did not buy mine through the school - we went through a local jewelry store that sold ArtCarved rings. The quality of my ring was much higher than friends who bought their rings through the school's representative.
Tons of friends had chipped stones, one friends ring got bent out of shape very easily, and another friend's stone fell out at least three times.

If you are buying a real gold ring - buy quality. If you are on a budget - buy quality.

I'll have the ring for the rest of my life, and I'll be able to show my kids some day.

Options are good - offer him what he wants rather than spending so much on something that he doesn't care to own, keep track of, and take care of.

I think a 'down payment' on a 'college quality' laptop is a great option, a phone upgrade, or as suggested before an iPod, or even an iPad (far more versatile looking ahead to college/career prep).

Teens care more about asserting themselves through expressive clothing etc rather than through expensive 'lunky' class rings it seems.

 

[Promomx2]

Dd got one and only wore it for till she graduated and now it's in my jewelry box. I put it there while packing her stuff up when she got married last feb. Ds, sophmore, he doesn't even want yearbooks. We got him a ring the year his baseball team and football team won championships.

 

[maggiew]

My parents got me one at the end of sophmore year and when it came that following fall I was not even a student at that school. I ended up transfering to a private High School that offered me a scholarship only one month before classes started (they had a last minute spot open up and I was next on the list). So now I have a class ring from a school I did not even graduate from. I also have no clue where it is at the moment.

I say ask him. If he wants one he will say so.

It may not help you since you don't know where your ring is right now. And I am not sure if its too late for you. BUT ... DD got her packet from the school about the class rings and I read all through it. I remember one of the things they said was that if you changed high schools, you could send the ring in and have it changed.

Maggie

 

[MrsPete]

My Daughter graduated HS in 2007 and attended a private school which never even offered a class ring, she didn't mind. We just ordered her college ring this past week as she graduates this year and she is really excited. JMO if your child is going to attend college and has class rings from HS and college I think that the college one would get worn more than a HS?

Maybe it varies, but I literally didn't know a single person who got a college ring. Today I think I know one person who wears a college ring.

Back when I graduated in the 80s, Art Carved rings came with a "trade up to a college ring" type deal: You could return your high school ring to them, and for $25 more they'd make you a college ring. I have no idea whether they still offer such a deal. I personally was never interested in doing it, but if you're thinking your child would like to have both a high school and college ring, this might be worth checking into.

My parents got me one at the end of sophmore year and when it came that following fall I was not even a student at that school. I ended up transfering to a private High School that offered me a scholarship only one month before classes started (they had a last minute spot open up and I was next on the list). So now I have a class ring from a school I did not even graduate from. I also have no clue where it is at the moment.

I say ask him. If he wants one he will say so.

All the big companies will re-make your ring (for free) if you change schools or if your graduation date changes. The only downside is that you're without the ring for a while.

 

[JoanGirardi]

My oldest son wanted both a class ring and a letter jacket when he was in high school. He wore the letter jacket for two years but not for most of his senior year. He wore the ring for about a month, then only when I nagged him to wear it for photographs or formal dress-up occasions. When my second son said he didn't want a ring or letter jacket, I respected his wishes and didn't get him either one. We bought him the warm-ups he wanted for soccer his senior year, and several items of senior clothing that he requested, but that's about it. My third child, a daughter, requested a senior ring, and she wears it every day. She wore mine from high school before she got her own, so I felt confident she'd wear her own---She picked the traditional style, and even if she doesn't wear it after high school it was still worth getting what she wanted. I say listen to the kid. It's a lot of money to spend if the kid doesn't really want the ring or jacket.

 

[Juliegirl1]

What about offering to buy him a nice watch instead of the ring? You can have the back engraved with his name, high school and year but no one will know unless he shows them. It will also be something that he can wear for a long time afterwards. I plan on doing that with my son. He can buy the college ring - in Texas that's a big deal especially if you go to A&M.

 

[ENSOCK]

After reading your thread, I asked my son what he wanted. He wants the ring and a laptop! I went to the Jostlen's website with him and the ring he wants is $568. If he wears it I don't have a problem getting it for him.

Good Luck!

 

[charming23]

It may not help you since you don't know where your ring is right now. And I am not sure if its too late for you. BUT ... DD got her packet from the school about the class rings and I read all through it. I remember one of the things they said was that if you changed high schools, you could send the ring in and have it changed.

Maggie

All the big companies will re-make your ring (for free) if you change schools or if your graduation date changes. The only downside is that you're without the ring for a while.

Thanks. I never knew that. I am not too worried about changing it though because when my Aunt offered to get me a new class ring when I transferred or another piece of jewlery and I picked out a necklace that I still where almost everyday. A small gold cross. It was significantly cheaper than a new ring and I wear it more often than I would my class ring any way.

 

[barbmouse]

My dd is a senior this year and did not order a class ring. She just doesn't like the way they look. It seems to me (in our area anyway) that not many kids order these. I did not get a HS ring either but did get a college ring.

 

[JB2K]

An option is to go into your local WalMart jewlry dept. and ask if they have a brosure on the Jostlen (sp?) class rings.

That's "Jostens"...

 

[SC Minnie]

DD16 is a junior and brought home the class ring packet at the end of last year. We looked through everything and even searched online. The costs were unreal. Since most kids don't wear their HS ring once they go to college (at least they didn't when I went) I asked her if she would rather we get her a birthstone ring instead. She really liked that idea so that what we did.

I still have my HS ring but never wear it. I did get a college ring and wore it everyday until about a year or so ago. I only wear it occasionally now.