Classy!
By La Petite AcadienneTonight I was rummaging through the box of jewelry that I no longer wear but that I hang on to for sentimental purposes, and I came across two class rings: my own from high school and my dad’s from university.
I don’t wear my dad’s, because it’s too big for even my thumbs. I hang onto it, though, as the Wee One might like to someday have his grandfather’s class ring.
I don’t wear my own, because I feel that I’ve outgrown it. Not in size. In spirit.
It’s a simple design, rather girlie, with a faux garnet in the centre (my birthstone, which worked out well considering that red was our school colour.)
But is it the design that I’ve outgrown? Or do I just feel that I’ve outgrown it, due to the fact that I am a very different person from whom I was back in 1993?
Class rings, by the way, were thought to originate with the class of 1835 at West Point. And according to etiquette, once you’ve graduated, you should wear your ring with the crest or insignia facing away from you, symbolizing that you’re entering the wider world outside of school.
I see some people my age walking around still wearing their class rings (usually they’re the ones wearing the uber-cool St. Francis Xavier University ring.) I envy them their cool class ring, but also wonder if wearing your class ring is a way of hanging on to a younger, more carefree time, possibly preventing you from fully living in the here and now.
What are your thoughts on wearing your class ring? Do you wear yours? Why or why not? (And is yours as unspeakably nifty as the X-Ring?)
Bisous,
LPA
November 22nd, 2010 at 10:38 am
I wore mine last weekend, because my class ring reflected my high school activities (the equestrian team and theater). I was going to a dinner party in Virginia hunt country to watch the dressage freestyle DVD from the World Equestrian Games and thought my class ring was appropriate. I also just like how smooth and heavy it feels on my finger. It’s sort of comforting.
November 22nd, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I wear my mother’s class ring. Hers is much nicer than mine (just a standard, “order whatever you want on it” ring from the whatever ring co.). It’s more meaningful than mine is, both because it actually has some symbolism from her school and because, well, it’s my Mom’s!
November 22nd, 2010 at 1:54 pm
I still wear my high school ring occasionally–it’s pretty and I paid a LOT of money for it (over $300, which was quite a chunk of change for my 18-year-old self back in 1993). I wear my university ring (also very pretty and relatively expensive) more than my HS ring, probably because it took me forever to figure out what I wanted to do and then, when I finally declared a major, my degree nearly killed me. It’s a badge of honor/triumph, and I hope I have a Mini Me who wants them someday.
November 22nd, 2010 at 4:38 pm
I am sad to report that I do not wear my h.s. ring because it was stolen when my apartment was robbed, back in the Stone Age. And I never bought a college ring because I was just too cool for all that. Again, back in the Stone Age.
I would definitely wear my h.s. ring if I still had it, though, and if it still fit me. I mean, we’re talking Class of ’77 here.
November 22nd, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I think, unless you are actively (*really* actively) involved in the goings on of your high school alma mater, regularly wearing the ring past the age of, say, 21 is a little silly. At my high school, that was purely a senior year and maybe freshman year of college activity.
College/university rings, on the other hand, I can definitely understand hanging on to. I actually regret not getting one myself, and have seriously considered rectifying that.
November 22nd, 2010 at 6:30 pm
I still wear my high school class ring for a few reasons. One, it cost a lot of money, over $500, so why let that much of a ring sit and fester in a jewelry box? Two, I enjoy rings and this one in particular is big and obnoxious. I like it. Three, why not? I never got my college ring, and since I’ve stopped bowling a 300 ring is not in my future, so I wear my pretty blue and gold high school ring. Plus, we’ve got my maternal grandmother’s class ring, my step-grandmother’s class bracelet (from nursing school), and, of course, my mom still has her ring. Quite the ring legacy. I only wish the dumb girl who was dating my father in right out of high school hadn’t swiped his class ring. Grrr…..
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Alas, I was not allowed to purchase a high school ring. My parents informed me that since I was most definately going to college, I would just get a university class ring. I did, and I still wear it.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:44 pm
I wear both my high school and college class rings. Not together! One, both are actual 14K gold, my parents insisted and paid for them. They cost a pretty penny.
I wear my high school in spring and summer since it has a fake blue stone in it for my September birth and I wear lots of blue and yellow during these seasons. The rest of the year, I wear my college ring which is a signet ring.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:49 pm
I would wear my high school class ring more often if it fit better. It doesn’t look like your typical class ring- instead, it’s got a jade cabochon engraved with the school crest, so it’s your basic signet ring. Lovely, and not at all out of place on an adult lady’s hand. Except it fits my pinky loosely these days, rather than my ring finger securely. So I don’t wear it much.
November 23rd, 2010 at 12:06 am
“I think, unless you are actively (*really* actively) involved in the goings on of your high school alma mater, regularly wearing the ring past the age of, say, 21 is a little silly.”
Only if you’re not so old that your ring (and you!) would be considered vintage!
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:12 am
@EV: I hear you about regretting not getting a university ring. I’ve been pondering getting one myself. It would just be the crest, though — no faux stones.
November 24th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Nope, no high school or university rings here. My dad got me a sapphire ring instead, that I can wear any time. Uh, except I don’t any more because I wear silver/plantinum jewelry, not gold. Well, maybe the Munchkinette will want it.
November 24th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Instead of a high school class ring, my parents, much like Glinda’s, gave me a garnet ring that I can always wear. (Well, once I get it resized or something, I’ll be able to wear it again.) I love garnets, and my school’s colors were maroon and white, so it works very well.