High school senior ring question

[eliza61]

I have 2 sons. My youngest is a Jr. in high school and just brought home his ring package (class rings are ordered in Jr. year). Rings start at 200 bucks and can get pretty pricey.

Here's my kind of dilema. His older brother (in college) got a H.S. ring during his Jr year and it ran us about 400 bucks but the kid never wears it.

I don't think honorable son #2 is all that interested because he hasn't even opened the package and I've been bugging him to make a choice.

So I was thinking of asking him does he really want the ring and perhaps offering some thing else.

MIL says it's pretty tacky and unfair. I just hate the fact that son #1 never wears his and I doubt if his younger brother will either. I mean if I'm going to blow 400 bucks, there's a nice Kate spade bag out there with my name on it.

Who started this stupid tradition anyway.

is it tasteless to offer a substitution?

p.s. my kids are really great, they are not the type that says "well Jordan got one, how come I'm not getting one"

 

[Minnie]

First I'd ask if he was really interested in the first place....

If he is then perhaps price out the least expensive option or look at the various online retailers for less expensive options.

He might be more interested in a pricier college ring later.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I never wore mine wither, I mean 3 months tops, and by no means daily. Course we ordered it the end of 10th grade, it came in the beginning of 11th grade and I got engaged Christmas of that year and only wore that ring after that. For me it was such a waste, but here I am with my own junior in HS asking her whey she doesn't want one. She doesn't though, she says no one gets them anymore. Not sure if that is true, not true, a local thing, but it may explain why your older son doesn't wear his.

I think if he wanted one he'd open the packet at least, maybe he just doesn't. No rule saying he has to, and no rule saying that if she changes his mind next year he can't get it them, plenty of places sell them, not just though the school (and often they are cheaper.) Or maybe he'll want one from college instead, but I say if he isn't pushing for it, no reason to get it. Sorry for disagreeing with the MIL.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Boy, for that amount of money, I'd rather have a ipad or ipod touch instead. Maybe get the thing engraved with happy senior year! LOL.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I don't know what I would do for a boy, but when I was in high school I was given the choice of a class ring or a pretty everyday opal ring. I chose the opal and never regretted it.

 

[worm761]

I never got one. I didn't really wear jewelery in high school. Well, not rings anyway. I do know that way back when we were in school, you wore your boyfriends ring and since it was way too big for you, you wrapped yarn around the bottom until it fit. Showing my age much?

I think it is find to offer him an alternate. Give him the choice. He is old enough to make it. I can tell you that Robbie has his high school ring and it sits in the console of the truck. Great place for it, right?

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Ahhh, the old yarn trick, I knew it well! Then we graduated to wearing it on a neclace, yeah, that was a look.

 

[Mulljac]

When my daughter was in high school she wanted the ring and also wanted a varsity jacket for band. we gave her both. My son decided he didn't want a ring and also didn't want a varsity jacket for band even though he got his letter. he also wasn't that interested in getting a big picture package for his graduation photo. different strokes for different folks. just ask your son 1 more time. it may not be important to him. don't waste your money if he really doesn't want it. there may be something else that he will really want in the future that you can get for him.

 

[smileycrissy]

I don't think its tasteless to offer a substitution, I think its really great of you to offer that to him. Sounds like a good Mom to me.

The kids these days don't care about the same stuff that kids did some years back. I'm sure your son will probably opt for the something else since he doesn't seem interested in opening the packet. Plus it seems to me that males just don't seem so interested in jewelry. The men in my family didn't care for it and neither does my fiancee.

When I got my senior ring, I purposely picked a style that looked like an everyday, almost traditional/old fashioned ring because I knew it was a lot of money and I wanted to make sure I wore it all the time. And to be honest, I probably wore it until I was in my mid 20's (it was pretty and didn't look like a senior ring).

 

[bumbershoot]

He might be more interested in a pricier college ring later.

Definitely possible.

My brother wears two rings. His wedding band and his Duke ring. And that's it for jewelry.

 

[MartinaC]

I have a senior in school this year and he wants none of the typical senior things. I am forcing him to take senior pics but other than that nothing. So, guess what he say's to me. "I would rather go to WDW" Which was music to my ears but, a lot more expensive. But, we are honoring his wishes and no ring, no jacket, no party, just pictures and a trip to WDW.
Maybe he would prefer something else.

 

[smokeyblue]

I hardly know anyone who wears class rings on a regular basis, and males wearing them are even rarer. Instead of a class ring I got a custom ring made with gold from my grandfathers wedding ring and from my dad's high school class ring. My parents bought me a diamond when I was born and we had that set in the ring. Really, looking back this was really nice, but extemely unecessary, but I was a pretty demanding child! It still is pretty special to me since the gold comes from some special pieces of jewelery.

Anyway, just discuss it with your son, and tell him if he's not going to wear it to please spare you the expense. If he really wants it, maybe start looking at other vendors (Wal-Mart, local jewelery stores, maybe online). Or if you choose to you could offer an alternative like an iPod or something.

 

[DOOM1001]

I wore mine for about a year or two after I got it Jr year,about 5 years later I moved and lost it during the move,I was upset for a couple of days then I totally forgot about it.I think if someone asked me if I wanted the class ring, an IPOD or a trip to Disney I would choose the trip or the IPOD easily.However things change over time, back when I graduated most of the kids got the ring,but now kids have tons of computers and gadgets that they might prefer.Also the economy being rough right now a whole lot less of them are driving,they may prefer the money for a car.I remember driving by my old high school last year and seeing how the student lot was half empty,when I graduated it was always full and some students even had to park outside the school,obviously with the economy, higher gas and insurance prices I'm certain more kids today are preferring to spend their money on other things,I'm sure many of them still get the ring but probably less.The only "Senior" thing I would do again for sure would be Grad Nite,that's one that sticks and I won't forget,Prom forget about it but going to Disney with 50,000 other seniors from all over, that was fun.

 

[tnhillbilly]

My Father in law works for the company that sells the rings to schools around here and only about 1/4 or less get rings anymore. Then most of those sold are to the girls.

 

[tkitty]

An option is to go into your local WalMart jewlry dept. and ask if they have a brosure on the Jostlen (sp?) class rings. They get the same rings as many of the schools at a whole lot less. You don't even have to say where you got it!
I agree that maybe there is a sustitute gift that your child would end up prefering. Not sure, but I think that I would have taken a Disney trip as a replacement!
I do remember how it felt to get my class ring, it was a special thing. Knowing that my Dad didn't hesitate to get it for me, even though I knew it was alot of money, and we didn't have alot. I did pick the cheapest ring at the time.

 

[Millie12591]

Boy, for that amount of money, I'd rather have a ipad or ipod touch instead. Maybe get the thing engraved with happy senior year! LOL.

I think I'd have to agree! I wish I had done this, we ordered the ring for our son and you know where it's sitting right now his first year in college? Right upstairs in his room that he doesn't live in any more....They don't wear these after school is over.

I will say....your MIL should put a sock in it and you do what you feel is right for you and your child, you know them best and if you feel he won't be offended to ask him if he would rather have something else then go for it!

I think having something else that would last a whole lot longer is a better use of your money.

 

[pintamino]

Two notes on senior rings from a college junior:

1) I never wear mine and will probably be having it melted (white gold) in to my college ring (I go to a well-known university)

2) I will pick a design I will actually wear -- I have friends who got rings that look like regular rings and just had the class year on them and still wear them. I picked a traditional style class ring and have worn it like 2 days. I don't think it even fits any more

I suppose it differs from guys though. The most my guy friends ever got out of their rings was spinning them like tops at lunch, and wearing them at grad.

 

[jam217]

My son is a high school senior and is also not interested in a class ring. I would much rather put the money toward something that he wants and will use on a daily basis such as an Ipod. I don't think it's tacky to offer something else as a substitute.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

My DS did get one last year and he will wear it for "dress up" but if your DS isn't interested I wouldn't push him. Maybe his older brother could pass down his ring to younger brother? Or maybe a really nice watch instead?

DS and his girlfriend both go to schools that make a big deal out of the rings. They are presented at a ring ceremony. Followed by a dance. Private schools tradition so most kids get them. (what a perfect marketing technique!)

Anyway DS girlfriend actually was presented with her Grandmothers ring from the same school. It was really sweet! And the new ones looked exactly the same except for the year! Cool tradition!

 

[Inigo]

At our HS, they order rings as freshman (although the upper classmen can also order.) My son wasn't interested, until he wore one of the class rings every day for a month as a "ring model" at which point he decided he wanted a ring. As a ring model, we got a discount on the ring. (If your parents worked for the school system, you got selected as a ring model.)0 We ordered the Ultrium metal, which is the lots-cheaper-than gold" stuff, since I figured he wouldn't want to wear it after HS. He did wear it up through the summer after graduation, and it's now in a box in his dresser where it has sat for the last 5 years.

When DD was a freshman, she wanted a ring too. Again, we got the discount for being a ring model. Before ordering from the company who came to the school, we went to a local jewelry store and priced out class rings. When we went to school on order day, I told them the price the jewelry store gave me for essentially the same ring. The rep at the school gave us an additional discount on top of the ring model discount.

Her class ring is more of a jewelry piece than a class ring, so she still wears it occasionally 1 1/2 years after graduation. You'd have to look to see it's a class ring, since it's a delicate ring.

I did offer both of them alternatives, telling them they could have the same amount of money for something else. Looking back, DS says he wishes he had taken me up on the offer. DD is still happy she got the ring. She'd probably think differently if it looked like a class ring.