Antique Class Ring?

Q: i got a high school class ring, and i still wear it (class of '90), perhaps because i was very fond of the time i spent in high school (i went to the nc school of science and mathematics, a public magnet boarding school in nc)...in fact, my best friend from hs is still my best friend now. i got a "traditional" sort of one, with my birthstone in it. i once thought i'd lost it and went into a massive panic...even if i didn't wear it, seeing it reminds me of a time when i was young and thought i'd manage to finish my phd in 6 years and gos traight to a faculty position...ahhh, those were the days!

A:I've had my senior ring now 24 years. I wore it constantly while still in high school and for probably at least 5 years after. I still wear it once in a while. (It fits...woohoo!) I got a classic senior ring style and I still love looking at it. It's got my drama and music emblems on it and it just reminds me of the "glory years". I'd say it's a good investment if you're sentimental at all. BTW, I still have the receipt for it too, it cost $80...those were the days! I graduated in June of '99 and as soon as I graduated I stopped wearing my ring. My ring wasn't too expensive, so I feel that I got my money's worth (I wore it everyday for 2 years) and now I have a beautiful memento. My advice is, if you really really want a ring, don't get the all-out best and most expensive. That way, if you decide you don't want to wear it later you won't be out $300. I think it depends what style of ring you get. I had two class rings from high school (lost one on the beach in Greece, but anyway)... The first one was very delicate, filigree antique silver with a ruby. (I hate yellow topaz, my birthstone,

so I just picked a stone I liked!) It had only a tiny little inscription around the stone with my class year and initials. I would have worn it forever, it was so beautiful. And then it got washed into the Aegean (sniff!). My replacement ring was much more conventional. It was silver with the personalized based-on-your-activities sides of the ring: mine were yearbook and student gov't (yeah, yeah, I know). Green stone, big class year insignia. Wore it until, oh, November of my freshman year of college. Bottom line: If you're going to spend a good deal of money, you might want to get something that doesn't look too much like a typical class ring.