Showing Some Class
I wore my college class ring for the first time in years today. I do not think that I have worn it since shortly after graduating from graduate school. I was compelled to wear the ring after randomly thinking about class rings this weekend. At that point, I realized that my parents spent a good amount of money on my class rings, and I never wear them.
I have both a high school class ring and a college/undergrad class ring. Each must have started at around a three or four hundred dollar base price or more. When you add all of the little extras, the cost just continues to increase.
For instance, The “U” on top of the stone on my high school ring probably cost extra. The choice of the small diamond instead of an initial on the college ring definitely cost extra. Both are engraved with my first and last name and middle initial. That probably cost extra.
The college ring has also been repaired once. When I was in graduate school, I took a trip to Florida. When I came back, the top center portion that holds the tiny diamond was completely gone!
I figure that with all of the little extras and the repair, my parents must have put out well over a grand between the two rings. Add to that the fact that my parents have six children. As far as I can remember, every single one of them got a high school class ring. Essentially, my parents spent all of that money on jewelry that rarely gets used. I guess it is lucky for my parents that I did not get the college class ring updated when I graduated from graduate school.
After thinking this out, I felt obligated and compelled to wear the ring.
I have to say, though that wearing the ring felt kind of weird. Think about it. How many adults do you see wearing a class ring? Every once in a while, I may see a man wearing one, but that does not happen often.
I looked on the web to see what others were saying about wearing them, and it sounds like people generally stop wearing high school class rings within a year of graduating. College class rings stick around a little longer, but eventually disappear for most people, too. This is especially true after wedding rings are exchanged. It all seems like such a waste. I had to wonder who even came up with the idea of class rings.
Supposedly, the class ring originated at West Point when the class of 1835 designed their own rings. It was a sign of solidarity, pride, and honor for the students. At some point, its use slipped into mainstream schools, and the rest is history. You can see the West Point Library digital display of class rings here.
I cannot say that I can see myself wearing my high school class ring much. It is pretty gaudy and looks almost like a man’s ring. The college class ring is a little more dainty, but still not really fashionable. Still, I will try to wear it more often while remembering that my parents paid a lot of money for me to have it.
I am not sure how students feel about class rings today. I remember in high school that it was just the thing to do. Everyone did it, and it was expected like class pictures, attending prom and graduation, yearbooks, etc. On the other hand, in college, it was more of a symbol of pride in my accomplishments and in my school.
For people with children, I guess that class rings can serve as a conversation and family history starter and even be passed down through the generations just like any other piece of jewelry. Then, occasionally, there are interesting stories about class rings lost and found like that of Keith Hawkins’ class ring and James Gordon Deaton’s class ring. There are even sites like this one dedicated to finding lost class rings, so these rings must have some meaning and value to people.
Perhaps class rings will get more wear since students can now get rings that look much more inconspicuous and that fit in more with everyday wear. You can even get a Deréon class ring, complete with $1850 accent diamonds on it! Now how is that for high fashion?
I think about my class rings from time to time. I usually start off by thinking about my high school ring and how much of a waste it is. I remember when I was about to graduate from high school that I was excited about getting the ring and all the cool designs on it. But It really is a waste especially if you go on to college. I think because of the wasteful high school class ring and another reason, I didn’t want a college class ring but Dad wanted me to have one. So I initially wore the ring I think more so to please my parents. After I graduated I felt a little ashamed to wear it because I didn’t have a job. I also didn’t like wearing it because I feared that people would see it and it would become a conversation piece and end up reminding me of my unemployment. When I got a job, I did wear it to work. Then I got another job where I couldn’t wear any jewelry but I could wear the ring outside of work. Now, once again I’m kind of ashamed/nervous about wearing my class ring because I’m not really using my degree and I don’t want it to become a conversation piece. Maybe I’m just paranoid.
Good grief, my comment looks like a blog entry. LOL