It’s a thing at the girls schools in Baltimore. There’s a ring dance, ring sisters, etc. each school handles it a bit differently though - some are more “cotillion-lite” others not so much. You can find dupes on Etsy for much less $$, esp for the signet type rings.

I never wanted one until college.

We all got them in 1988 and wore them maybe two weeks. Then they went into a jewelry box only to be pulled out again by our kids decades later, asking what the heck were these giant monstrosities.

A ring is a trophy you carry around and show off. For getting married, for getting engaged, for having a lot of money, for graduation college, for winning a Super Bowl, for finishing high school.

How much of your life do you want to spend carrying around a trophy that says "I finished high school?" There is a very small niche where that's impressive for more than 1 year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a Midwestern public HS and we all got them. They were stupidly expensive and ugly (like Super Bowl rings) but anyone who was a varsity athlete, theater, orchestra or band kid got them sophomore year. We spent weeks obsessing over the special panels on the sides of the rings. It was a big thing and I wore it daily for 3 years. I’ve spent way more per wear on fine jewelry.

Once I got to my fancy college and saw the very understated signet-style class rings my private school classmates wore, I immediately hid my HS ring and never wore it again.

LOL. This is hilarious. Thank you for sharing!!!

My PA public high school was into big customized rings in the '80s. I (female) got one from one of the big brand companies. I liked it a lot even though it wasn't dainty (Superbowl style). The enameled lettering on the school crest wore off within a year and when I sent it in under the lifetime warranty, the company did a crude fix rather than a 100% restore. So basically they lost my future business at that point. My husband got one of the tasteful signet rings with just an initial even though he went to a small rural high school. For a while in my early 20s, I had it and occasionally wore it as a going steady ring. I kinda enjoyed the 50's nostalgia vibe but quickly concluded school rings of any type were outdated. Now they are stashed with other unworn gold jewelry in our safe deposit box. Our kids don't seem to have any interest in getting their own.

It’s a momento.

Save your money. I still regret buying one 35 years ago!

Neither of my DMV kids got one/are getting one, and I can't think of any of their friends who did either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a Midwestern public HS and we all got them. They were stupidly expensive and ugly (like Super Bowl rings) but anyone who was a varsity athlete, theater, orchestra or band kid got them sophomore year. We spent weeks obsessing over the special panels on the sides of the rings. It was a big thing and I wore it daily for 3 years. I’ve spent way more per wear on fine jewelry.

Once I got to my fancy college and saw the very understated signet-style class rings my private school classmates wore, I immediately hid my HS ring and never wore it again.

LOL. This is hilarious. Thank you for sharing!!!

Ha! Same. I am thinking they aren’t a big deal now since almost everyone goes to college after high school. For my parents (and me, but less so) they seemed cool, but a lot of people ended education at high school in my smalll midwestern town.

I never had one (‘89) though I’m sure someone was selling them, my ‘20 certainly had no interest an I’ve never heard any parents discussing buying. Were i New England. Maybe it’s regional but doesn’t seem to be a thing around here.

They were a big thing when I was young. I’ve never seen a teen around here wear them in this day and age.

Anonymous wrote:I went to a Midwestern public HS and we all got them. They were stupidly expensive and ugly (like Super Bowl rings) but anyone who was a varsity athlete, theater, orchestra or band kid got them sophomore year. We spent weeks obsessing over the special panels on the sides of the rings. It was a big thing and I wore it daily for 3 years. I’ve spent way more per wear on fine jewelry.

Once I got to my fancy college and saw the very understated signet-style class rings my private school classmates wore, I immediately hid my HS ring and never wore it again.

LOL. This is hilarious. Thank you for sharing!!!

Anonymous wrote:I went to a Midwestern public HS and we all got them. They were stupidly expensive and ugly (like Super Bowl rings) but anyone who was a varsity athlete, theater, orchestra or band kid got them sophomore year. We spent weeks obsessing over the special panels on the sides of the rings. It was a big thing and I wore it daily for 3 years. I’ve spent way more per wear on fine jewelry.

Once I got to my fancy college and saw the very understated signet-style class rings my private school classmates wore, I immediately hid my HS ring and never wore it again.

I have not seen any of my daughters' friends with class rings (DMV area). When I was in high school in the 90s, in a small rural town, the class rings were a huge deal. Your boyfriend would give you his class ring, and we would wrap string around the back so that they would fit on our fingers or wear it on a necklace. Ugh. So glad my daughters don't feel the need to wear a boy's ring to gain status in high school!