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

[java]

Yeah what's up with this for Sophomores? My son got it too. He is thinking he wants one but I don't know if they even do anything or just mail you the ring?
In my high school(all girls)
We had a big Ring Night ceremony Junior year. I got a signet ring and I still have it. I would buy one of those for my son.

 

[hollisterluva92]

I got mine in June of this year--I was a junior--and it is beautiful! I got the 10K white gold and it is amazing! I wear it every day. I ordered it through my school--Herff Jones and it cost about $300--here it is:

 

[antmaril]

walmart.com

 

[jodifla]

I loved my high school ring. I wore it every day for 4 years, then when I got my college ring, I took it off and now don't know where it is. I'd love to have it back...it's was a wonderful keepsake.

I haven't worn my college ring in a while, but I think I'll have it resized and start wearing it again!

 

[elgerber]

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.

My son was able to order one last year, as a sophomore, he didn't want one, but he could have. Actually I am class of 1987 and we bought ours as sophomores also.

 

[3boymthr]

I have to say the only people I have seen wearing class rings outside of school age people are adults who've graduated from places like Harvard or West Point. My dad still has his class ring (1960) and my mom still has my grandfathers class rings (1934). Neither have seen the light of day in about 10 years, maybe longer.

 

[runwad]

walmart.com

My DD is only in 8th grade but I just went and took a peek and wow I like those freestyle rings. They are like regular pieces of jewlery...is that what the kids get now instead of the class rings we got oh 25 years ago

 

[Megkel]

I got my class ring five years ago from Jostens and paid $100. My parents told me that if I wanted one I could as a birthday present. I wasn't dissapointed. I wore it all through high school and I still have it even though I don't wear it. I think that if you are okay with her getting one you should let pick with whatever guidlines you decide are okay. I personally never regreted getting my class ring, I love that it represents me when I was in highschool.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

FWIW, though trade in value isn't much--I do know that when my DH was preparing to graduated from UF, he traded up his high school ring (really didn't get much for it) when he bought his college ring. He graduated in 1996 and still wears it (on his right hand, wedding ring on left). He's proud that he got the degree and a huge gator fan.

 

[cassandrap83]

HS class rings are a complete waste.

NO ONE cares what high school you went to in the real world.

 

[kittychatalot]

Graduated from High school in 1992. Mine is 14K gold with some kind of blue semi precious stone. We had a lovely Sophomore semi formal dance to celebrate our class rings being blessed, as I went to a Catholic High School. Too small for me now but I will pass it down to my kids someday. I made sure and bought my boyfriend ( now hubby) his class ring when he graduated from college and he often wears it. He had the kind of parents who did not think buying one was important for either high school or college even though they did not pay for either, lol. Blows my mind.

 

[::Snow_White::]

I'm not really sure on this one, I was a sophomore last year and I heard one kid spent around $1000 on his ring!

Personally I told my mom I didn't want one, that they were a waste and instead she's paying for me to pick a pearl at disney and the setting I want next summer. Much cheaper, a lot cuter, and I'll like it a lot more.

The rings that are pretty cute are insanely expensive and the rest of them are ugly. I suppose just use your best judgement! Good luck!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I bought my class ring in 1980 when I was a Junior. I saved up for a year and got it myself because my parents told me they weren't going to be able to afford to get it. It wasn't near as expensive back then as it is now. Mine is 14K gold and has a ruby set in it so it wasn't cheap. I think I paid 200.00 or so back then.

I love my class ring. I wore it up until I was pregnant with my 2nd child. It doesn't fit me anymore but I still have it.

I also have my DH's class ring. He wore his thru college and then gave it to me for safe keeping. His is silver with a sapphire stone.

I plan on getting class rings for both my kids but they have to be reasonably priced.

 

[MineMail]

I only wore my HS ring until I went to college. I liked my college ring much more - it's just prettier. I wore my college ring until it got too tight.

I paid for both of my rings myself, although my mother wrote the check. (I didn't have a checking account and they wouldn't take cash.)

My oldest lost her HS ring a week after it arrived. She dropped it in a wooded, overgrown lot and couldn't find it. I retrieved it (after much yelling about her losing a $300 ring and why didn't it fit if she was measured) but she's never worn it since.

I like the personal ring idea much more. I think it's unique and much more personal. I'll try that approach with my younger children.


Just a note about the rings purchased through the schools: some of that money goes back to the school, so it's a fundraiser in disguise. It's just not a tax-deductible contribution for you. That's why it's more expensive than a jeweler/Walmart school ring. Just saying.

If you have the receipt (SAVE IT!), ring companies like Josten will repair or resize rings for free - just check the paperwork that came with the ring. I'm brutal on rings and usually bend them out of shape just because I'm very active and strong. I broke the ring, snapping the band. I took it to a jeweler for repair and the very honest man mentioned this to me. I had the paperwork at home and when I called, Josten was very nice on the phone. They had me ship the ring to them, they repaired it and sent it back good as new. At the time, I didn't ask about resizing, but it's worth a call if you miss your ring.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I never had a class ring. My mother told me she thought it was very silly to buy a high school ring because you likely won't wear it after high school. I went to the jewelry store and just chose a little diamond accent ring instead. (When my sister graduated I wasn't wearing the ring anymore, so I passed it down to her. She didn't like gold and she somehow managed to lose the diamond out of it, so she gave it back to me. )

DH had a class ring. His parents house was burglarized and the ring was stolen. It showed up in a pawn shop and the police returned it to DH. It sat in a box for probably 15 years after that. Last year when we were gathering up old, broken gold jewelry he decided to just sell it.

If you absolutely can not talk your child out of a ring I would go with the least expensive option.

 

[JB2K]

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!

I had a class ring made of a similar substance (I chose to go through the local jeweler rather than to do the Jostens thing) -- wore it frequently for several years and to this day, it's still looking good (though I no longer wear it).

 

[StephMK]

Thanks for all of the replies! We decided to wait & shop around a little. I also want her to be totally sure she'll wear it. I'm still not opposed to getting it but don't want to buy it if she won't wear it. I'm sentimental & still have mine, but I love the idea of a personal ring instead. DH is anti-ring since he never had one.

If she does get one, it sounds like we'll be ok to go lustrium or some other mixed metal. Thanks for helping us out, the replies gave us some new things to think about!!

 

[Shanan]

My parents gave me the option of getting a diamond ring for the same price as the class ring I was looking at. I got the diamond ring which I considered my class ring. Now I did get some ribbing from my classmates on the day that the class rings came in and was passed out. However, I know I got the best deal. I have been out of school for 25 years and still have and still wear the diamond. How many others that graduated 25 years ago can say that they still wear their 'class ring'?

 

[Sandyjeanie2222]

DD is a HS sophomore & 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!

I know that this particular post is old. But, I ordered several high school rings in the past year (2016-2017, school year), so I can give people ideas about prices and quality of high school rings right now from 4 different companies. First, just over a year ago, I purchased a high school ring from Jostens. They still had the Budget Saver and Budget Saver Plus rings at the time, and I paid slightly less than $100 for a Budget Saver Plus. It is a beautiful customized ring, with the least expensive metal, but you certainly can't tell that it's the cheapest metal. But, here's the bad news. The same exact ring at Josten's now, is $252 to start, and the price increases with customization. So, I looked elsewhere for the next ring. The next ring I ordered came from Limoges, this past year. My advice: NEVER ORDER A HIGH SCHOOL RING FROM LIMOGES! I paid over $120 for a ring that looked like bubble gum machine quality. The metal looked like coated plastic, the wording on the ring was blurry and not legible, it had a completely open back, and the stone was held in place with 4 flimsy metal prongs (one broke off the day it arrived). I sent the ring back, their customer service department is awful, and it took them many months to refund my money. After I got my money back from Limoges, I ordered the ring from Dunham. Dunham has a Budget Saver option, and a Budget Saver Plus option, just like Jostens used to have. I ordered a Budget Saver Plus ring. It was a customized ring, of excellent quality, equal to the Jostens ring. And, the best news: the total was $94. I will definitely order from Dunham again. Dunham met my expectations at a very reasonable cost. And there is a 4th option for people who almost can't afford high school rings at all. There are several companies in China who make generic high school rings for $6 or less. Yes...I said...6 dollars...or less. Now, the Chinese ring options are not customized, but some of the companies do put the graduation year on the ring. You do have a choice of stone color. The rings are made of stainless steel, you have a choice of gold or silver tone, and you can choose the size you need. Most of the stainless steel high school rings from China, have closed backs, wings on the sides, and some have the graduation year. All of the rings say simply High School on the top...very generic. But, you know what? The rings from China are a MUCH better quality than the Limoges rings. So please remember that! I ordered a couple of high school rings from the Chinese companies. I wore one for a month to be sure that it didn't turn my finger green, and it did not. I was way happier with the rings from China, than the junky Limoges rings. The only thing you have to worry about with the Chinese rings is that some of them have School spelled wrong, as Scool. I was quite amused, but I'm glad mine was spelled right. The spelling mistake on School (Scool) is a common one though, with the Chinese companies, so watch out for it. Well, there you have it for the most recent companies that I ordered high school rings from. Several years ago, I ordered a high school ring from Walmart. It was a beautiful ring, again equal to Jostens, maybe even better. Walmart still has some very limited budget saver rings for $56. But, for the most part, their prices have increased, just like Jostens. So, I hope this helps for you ring buyers of 2017. HAPPY HIGH SCHOOL RING HUNTING!!

 

[TnTWalter]

oops didn't see it was so old...