Next to a wedding ring, the high school class ring is often the most important (and sometimes the most expensive) piece of jewelry that a person might own. The tradition of class rings began in 1835 when the idea was first introduced at West Point Military Academy to signify their unity as soldiers. Nowadays, rings give students a way to look back on their past and remember the good old days of high school, but teens aren’t as enthusiastic about buying rings as they used to be.

According to Thomas Orme, Linganore’s representative at Jostens, each year there is an average of about 60 ring orders. This is about 4% of the entire student body. The national average for ring orders is about 22% of a school’s population.

Junior Alex Graham says that he does not plan to order a ring. He says, “I would not wear it around much.” He also says that the rings are “really expensive.” Graham said that if he were to get a class ring it would just be to “remember my high school class.”

Junior Eric McDowell is expecting to get a class ring for 2015. He says that getting a class ring “…is another way to show that I went to Linganore.” He is also excited about designing the ring. “I will probably get a gold ring with a red gem in the middle, with baseball on one side, and track on the other.”

Mr. Kehne says that when he was in school, students would get class rings because of “tradition.” His classmates would get them to “identify yourself with your school.”

At some high schools and colleges around the country, class rings are a tradition carried on for generations. The schools have elaborate ring ceremonies where, often, class rings are handed down through a family which makes the ceremony very special to the participants.

In contrast to 20 years ago, students can now personalize their own ring with options such as side designs, stone color, and engravings. Rings tend to start around $500 depending on metal and gem choices, such as real gold or diamonds.