Which option for class ring that will last & is budget friendly?

[StephMK]

DD is a HS sophmore & wants to order a class ring. The only she really wants is a silver Elite - silver/platinum mix. They also offer a silver lustrium that is $85 less ($201). Or I have seen class rings you can order from other sources. I feel bad not getting her the first choice but I also am not sure about spending $300 on a HS ring.

We are currently paying for braces, $340 driver ed class, $350 required show choir costume, etc. Funds are tight!! She's an excellent student & great & busy kid so I want to get her something nice that will last at least through HS without bending the bank futher than necessary. It will be part of her Xmas or bday & I could ask her bio-dad to split the cost probably as another option.

Will lustrium hold up? Do I bite the bullet for the better one? Go budget & get one elsewhere?? I'd love any stories those that have them & how they hold up. Thanks!

 

[Mickey Pal]

This is my opinion. I think "class rings" are a waste of money. Yes I did have one when I was in school. Now the reason for my opinion. I have 3 children. 2 boys then a girl. For the first boy we bought an expensive class ring and he never wore it. The next boy wanted one and we bought a cheaper made ring and he wore it maybe 1/3 of his high school years. When my daughter was a sophomore we decided to let her pick out and design a birthstone ring from a jewelery store. We did spend around $200 on a really nice ring. Reason we did this was because my friend had a daughter that they let do that and she wore the ring even when she was out of High School. She was 8 years older than my daughter. Now my daughter is a Jr in college and she still wears her ring all the time. A lot of her friends spent just as much if not more and don't wear their "class ring" at all. All her friends knew that the ring she got was her "class ring". I have also known of friends where there daughter wears their class ring. I know this was long but I think you should just let her design a ring from a local jeweler. She will get a lot more wear out of it.

 

[RMAMom]

My high school ring is made of lustrium. I (my Mom) bought it in 1981 and it looks as good as the day I put it on my finger. I got it as a sophomore and wore it for my HS years and a few beyond that and it has been in my jewelry box ever since. I say order the lustrium, it will hold up beautifully!

 

[WishIwerethere]

Try Walmart. I got my daughter's class ring there after shopping around. Very nice ring that didn't look any different to us than the more expensive varieties. I usually believe you get what you pay for, particularly in jewelry, and I typically hate Walmart because of poor quality and service. However, I honestly would not hesitate to buy another class ring at Walmart. It was SO much cheaper for a great ring!

 

[loonytoony]

How about a job and pay for it on her own. That will test how bad she wants it

 

[SueEllen]

We priced many options and places and found the best prices to be at WalMart. The ring is NICE and I was able to get her a gold ring for 1/2 the price of the ring through the company that does the rings through our schools.

I'd recommend them based on our experience.

 

[jax677]

My daughter also got her class ring from walmart. We ordered it online and it looks exactly the same as the ones other kids ordered from the school. We saved a bundle on it. She wore it during high school but now that she's in college it sits in a box. I just felt it was wasteful to pay big bucks for something she would only wear for a bit.

 

[3boymthr]

I never got a class ring, never regretted it. My parents felt that for a girl they were a giant waste of money - my DM had one and never wore it - neither did either of her sisters. Instead my parents bought me a really nice ring in the stone of my choice that would have cost the same as my class ring. I loved it still have it, still wear it when my fingers are thin enough; I've been out of school for 23 years.

Of course it did have one bad effect, it got me addicted to really nice jewelry. Oh yea, I have a jewelry box that's full and none of it is costume jewelry. DH says I'm going to make him bankrupt.

To make it more like a class ring you could pick a ring with stones that match the school colors and have the ring engraved on the inside with the school name, her initials and her graduation year.

 

[GoofyGolferGirl]

I did the same thing as the PP, my parents got me a really nice diamond cluster instead of a class ring which was my choice. I graduated over 25 years ago and still have my ring and still wear it. When I graduated from college I did the same thing and still wear that ring. I would not still be wearing a class ring and not one of my friends wear a class ring. I think they are a waste of money and I have something to hand down to my DD when she graduates that she will wear! This is just my opinion but I would even pay a little extra if need be for a nice ring that my DD loved instead of a class ring. You can get really nice rings on sale all the time at jewerly stores or Sam's club has really pretty rings that don't cost a arm and leg! LOL

 

[Inigo]

I wanted a class ring, and didn't get one. 27 years later, I'm still a little wistful. (My parents bought my brother who graduated a few years before me a class ring.)

I got over it. Mostly.

Anyway, I ordered the Lustrium rings for both my kids, 4 and 8 years ago when they were freshman. The rings looked extremely similar to those made from the more expensive metals, as they have the same stones as the more expensive rings.

And an FYI for those parents who work in the schools:
I was fortunate that I didn't have to pay full price for either ring. Since my husband teaches in the school system, we got a discount from Herff Jones. They give a discount on every ring if the parent works anywhere in the school system. The HS kids just had to wear a model ring around for a month prior to when orders were placed.

 

[HunnyPots]

Both my kids got theirs at Walmart. We saved over $100 each by not getting them through the school or any of their competitors. They are the same quality and look the same. They have identical warranties. My daughter is a senior in college and still wears hers. My son wears his less frequently, which makes me even more glad I got the less expensive ring.

 

[luvsJack]

Bought both my sons expensive class rings ordered from the company the school went with. Neither one has his ring now. They wore them until they graduated and the rings disappeared sometimes after that. One to a girl, the other lost at the creek.

I had a nice class ring. No longer have it.

For DD we will either do something like the pp said (allowing her to design or pick out a ring) or buy from Walmart.

 

[horseshowmom]

The lustrium (it was called siladium back in '75 when I got one) will actually hold up better than silver (can't speak for the platinum). Mine looks just like it did when I bought it (looks brand new, and I wore it steadily up until I started college).

I got mine at a jewelry store and got my daughter's at Wal-Mart. I agree with the others, and I wouldn't spend much (my daughter's was about $100 and had everything she wanted). Very few people wear them after high school.

 

[CTdiznymom]

I consider class rings an unnecessary right of passage. Unfortunately in about a year, your're going to wish you didn't spend the money. I have twins who have been out of HS for years, and I think they wore their rings until graduation and that was it. Haven't seen them since. Money down the drain. So order the cheapest one you can find, or offer her a more personal ring that she will actually wear.

 

[mrsklamc]

Never got one and I never regretted it.

 

[mom2val]

Do sophmores buy rings now? I was class of '92 and did not get mine until end of Jr. year. No one ever wore theirs until they were seniors.

 

[MrsSpratt]

My High School has AMAZING cool class rings, I'm a proud alum, and I didn't buy one. Never even asked my parents for one.

Even at 15, I felt is was inappropriate to buy something I would only wear for a few years, at best.

That being said, I agree with ALL of the PPs that have mentioned getting a ring that is HER "class ring." 10 to 1 she will wear iit MUCH longer.

Just my two cents...

Mrs. Spratt

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I got a girl's class ring in high school but could not even tell you where it is now. I'm just glad I didn't ask my parents to shell out big bucks for the ones some of my friends were getting in gold and gemstones. I'm glad I had one at the time (it seemed so important at the time) but glad it cost under $100 (well, it cost my parents).

At my school we had a Junior Ring dance (like a Junior Prom) and they handed out the rings one at a time and made an announcement and you had to come out on the dance floor to get it. Which is why 99% of my class got their class rings through the school. Sounds a bit like a conspiracy to me...

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

I must agree with the "class rings are a waste of money" crowd. I didn't buy one, and I've never regretted it. Furthermore, I've never seen one person wearing a high school ring on a college campus. Anyone I knew who did buy one now has it stashed in a dresser at home.

Of course, this is just my personal experience. If she is truly interested in a piece of jewelry to commemorate her graduation, I suggest finding a more personal ring from an alternate jeweler. Good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[sk!mom]

Get the cheaper option!

Does anyone wear a high school class ring after high school? I don't think they're even really popular in high school. I know a few men who still wear college rings. I'll be going cheap for my DD13 if she feels that she MUST have one after I try to talk her out of it.