Karlsgems

Is it me, or did they do blue Antiquing around the words “Stanley Cup Champions”? If thats what it is, I’ve never seen that before. All in all, a very beautiful and thoughtful design. Especially the ‘Laila’ tribute inside the ring. I love the two-tone gold and the prolific use of sapphires. Very well done, St.Louis!

Awesome stuff, they designed some nice rings. It's nice that they incorporated the CFP trophy in their ring, I think they are the first to do so? (Correct me if I'm wrong.) It'll be interesting to see if others follow suit over the coming years. One curiosity....in the center ring, what are the four ruby-colored football-shaped stones for? Perhaps Saban's four National Titles? Just guessing....what do you all think? Also, I counted 13 football shaped diamonds (including the one at the top of the trophy)....is that their number of National titles? I know they have a lot, but don't know the exact number. As as for the design, I'm glad they did a football/rounded shape inside a standard rectangular ring. I am not a fan of the Ohio State Championship ring or Steelers or Ravens last Super Bowl rings. The rounded shape on the outside of the ring doesn't do it for me. I'm too traditional I guess. Anyways, I like the design because it incorporates some design elements/trends from recent championship rings, but this is their OWN unique design or at least their own interpretation of these designs. In other words, this ring has similarities to other recent rings, but isn't just a straight rip-off of an NFL ring or another schools ring (like Auburn mimicking the Patriots ring or Ohio State copying the Ravens, etc.). Nothing wrong with copying the NFL, it's just that I'm praising Bama for doing their own thing. Original designs are hard to come by. I predict we will soon see other people copying THIS Ring in years ahead. Cool stuff, thanks you guys for posting pics. When I logged in this morning I was hoping to see the Bama rings! Now, let's get some shots of the shanks as well as side by side comparisons with other rings for size perspective! It never ends for us ring junkies!

Brandon, thank you so much for sharing the symbolism of the ring. It's always neat to see what was important to the team that designed a particular championship ring. This is exactly the awesome kind of contributions that this forum is all about. Well done, sir! Karl

That's a nice ring. I really like the two-tone gold. It goes with everything. Lots of symbolism per the Jostens graphic. Classy.

OMG that is horrible. Agreed---- that is NOT happening. Mike you're right, recent trends have been to have the team logo surrounded by trophies (Pats last year are perfect example and even arguably Green Bay in 2010). You can bet it will be big and it will probably even be yellow gold. Beyond that, it's hard to say. You never know how the players feel and what they want, plus are they going to have any imagination or are they going to reconstitute the Patriots design from the year before. Personally, I can't wait to see what they come up with. They have historically designed some nice rings. Their first super bowl ring wasn't their fault, that was just crappy execution by Diamond Cutters. At least they got it straightened out the following year with Jostens! Fingers crossed! Karl.

I love that Niners ring, it's one of my favorites! Also one of the most comfortable championship rings I've ever tried on. The five Lombardi trophies are AWESOME. what a statement they make. im hoping Green Bay can do something Similar on their next ring. As for the Giants ring......yeah, I'm not really a fan of what they did. That Giants ring is one of my all time favorites and the blue stone under the trophy is a huge part of the elegance and impact of the design. It was truly a classic design. The yellow diamonds add nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love yellow diamonds and colored stones in general when it comes to championship rings. But in THIS case....no. It doesn't work for me. I think I know your tastes a little bit...and I'm guessing you agree with me? Thanks for answering my question about Kubiak. I'll check your blog for sure. Karl

I KNEW you had it right! Wow, that's a big ring. Thanks for answering my question. And thanks again for the neat pictures. It's so amazing that you have all those rings. What an accomplishment. And yet, you are still in the hunt for a couple. The pursuit never ends, really, right? nice picture of Kubiak's rings. How did he get a Niners ring in between all those Denver rings? I am ignorant of his personal history, but I'm guessing he got those rings while PLAYING football. So did he leave Denver and then come back? TIA for any light you can shed. Karl.

Gosh, I was all set to totally agree with you (and I think I mostly do). But then I remembered the NFL helps pay for the rings. Granted, the individual team owner often goes above and beyond money-wise, but what if the League ASKED them to incorporate the Super Bowl 50 logo?? You know, it only comes around every 50 years. Just look at what they're doing with the Super Bowl artwork. Remember when each SB had its own distinct logo and artwork? Not anymore. And I'm not saying it's better or even a good thing. Just that that's the way it is now. Okay, go ahead and shoot down my theory now! like i said, ymar, I do mostly agree with you! Karl.

Wow, sweet post. Thanks for putting those all together Mike! One question: It appears that you have the relative size of the rings correct, so my question is whether the Broncos last AFC ring is REALLY that big? It seems outsized, but I know you would represent it correctly because you're into details like that. Anyhoo, just curious! Thanks, Karl

So we should be seeing the Chicago Blackhawks ring pretty soon, right?! Anyone seen that thing yet or know who was commissioned to make it? Probably Jostens like the other ones, but you never know. TIA for any info you all have, Karl

Yeah, you're right. The design is very poor. It might be just that they were not motivated to design a ring due to their disappointment (remember how the Steelers did watches just a few years ago when they lost to the Packers?). Very little thought went into this ring. How did this ring 'feel' to you? Did it feel appropriately heavy? How was the finish? We're the details sloppy? I'm just asking because people are getting awfully good at making copies. You were right to pass on it. Listening to that little voice in that back if your head is usually wise. The jersey not matching up and the paperwork not being right are big red flags. Thanks for sharing your experience, though. Very interesting. Thanks, Karl.

Interesting that the design appears to be just like that of the '69 miracle Mets. By that, I mean the top of the ring (where the words are) is the only part that rises up above the fingers/hand. In other words The shanks are very low. The Mets ring is quite beautiful and massive, but I always felt that that particular design element kept it manageable/wearable. Just my guess, but I think im on target. This is a pretty ring, but I agree with you guys that it smacks of relatives/heirs wanting to cash in on his legacy...probably through an Auction. K

As for the Raiders ring.....I think the ring you pictured is perhaps my favorite Super Bowl ring design commemorating a Third championship. The only other that might be tied in my mind is the 49'ers third SB championship ring with three little Lombardi Trophies in an oval of diamonds. In fact, the Niners ring was the inspiration for my own team's Rose Bowl ring that I helped design...but I digress. No, Al Davis did an excellent job on all his rings. He wanted his players to have a ring worthy of any occasion, such as having lunch with the Queen of England or some such thing, and I think he succeeded. You may not like the Raiders, but they sure made some purdy rings! And for the record, I LIKE the consistency of the Raider designs. I think it's a testament to having one owner who can influence such a thing. Or one family like the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, they also have had nice rings designed over the years (except for the Second one...it was, and is, hideous). While we are talking about Third Super Biwl rings, let me just give a shout-out to the Steelers third Championship where they incorporated their team logo with the design of the ring and the number of championships. Extra credit is awarded in my book. I know they were probably trying to one-up the Cowboys from the year before but still, it's an awesome design. Sincerely, Karl Hi Karl, I never heard the Raiders rings described as designed to be worthy for any occasion. I must agree - that description really sums up the raiders rings. Not too flashy, but very beautiful. They can hang with the bling-rings, but not be embarrassingly over gaudy. I really like that description. I do look at the Steeler rings and scratch my head. In my opinion, unlike the uniform nature of the Raiders rings, none of the Steeler rings match. It's almost like different groups within the Pittsburgh upper management help design each ring separately, or they went out of their way to completely re-do each design. If you line up the first 4 rings from the Steeler's 70s titles, none of them look similar or have a reoccurring theme (the only theme I see is that the first, third and fourth don't have traditional shanks, but have a more modern looking engraving on the sides. The 5th and 6th again, are very different from any ring we had seen before, and finally, their two AFC championships not only resulted in different looking rings, their last appearance in the Super Bowl actually resulted in a watch - not a ring! Yeah, you know ....you're right. The steelers rings were not uniform. I guess Al Davis WAS the only one to do that so consciously. But yeah, that quote about his players being able to have lunch (or dinner ?) with the Queen is for real. Raiders rings are classy. Now that you mention it, those Steelers rings were quite different from one another. You know the only other rings that had SOME consistency were the Forty Niners rings....NONE of them had any color or colored stones. Just diamonds. Oh and they were all yellow gold (how appropriate that they made their recent NFC championship ring white gold!!)Very nice rings, every last one of them. I'm not a Niners fan but I really do like their Championship Rings! Man, it sure is fun to talk rings with someone who cares about them and who can picture in his mind every single ring I'm mentioning without me posting a picture. You are a rare breed and I'm so happy to have found this forum. Everyone in my family thinks I'm nuts. Karl.

Yes, I would like to discuss the design of these rings. They are two of my all time favorites. I am so sorry that the Redskins ring design had to be wasted on an NFC Championship, it was a great design. I really like when teams use color ( ok, specifically, colored gemstones) in their designs ala NY Giants in '86 or even the '82 Redskins with the red base stone topped with the diamond football shape. Also, I think I was nice that the Packers included green in their 2010 Super Bowl ring. As for the Raiders ring.....I think the ring you pictured is perhaps my favorite Super Bowl ring design commemorating a Third championship. The only other that might be tied in my mind is the 49'ers third SB championship ring with three little Lombardi Trophies in an oval of diamonds. In fact, the Niners ring was the inspiration for my own team's Rose Bowl ring that I helped design...but I digress. No, Al Davis did an excellent job on all his rings. He wanted his players to have a ring worthy of any occasion, such as having lunch with the Queen of England or some such thing, and I think he succeeded. You may not like the Raiders, but they sure made some purdy rings! And for the record, I LIKE the consistency of the Raider designs. I think it's a testament to having one owner who can influence such a thing. Or one family like the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, they also have had nice rings designed over the years (except for the Second one...it was, and is, hideous). While we are talking about Third Super Biwl rings, let me just give a shout-out to the Steelers third Championship where they incorporated their team logo with the design of the ring and the number of championships. Extra credit is awarded in my book. I know they were probably trying to one-up the Cowboys from the year before but still, it's an awesome design. And the '77 Cowboys are to be credited for using their star logo for their second SB ring...love it when teams can use the logo not just in the design but also to commemorate the NUMBER of championships. Very cool indeed. I give them credit for being the FIRST to this. Yes, they used their star on their first SB ring, but to use TWO STARS for the second SB championship was the first time anyone did it. So thanks, Mike, for sharing that picture of those two rings. I love them both and I'm grateful you still share your collection with us! Sincerely, Karl

I don't like the Giants WS ring. Hate to be negative, so let me give one compliment: at least it's original. I mean these guys can't be accused of copying ANYONE ELSE. There, I was charitable. My good deed for the day. Been away for awhile, glad to be back. Hope you all are doing well. I promise I will try to further the discussion and help keep this forum going! Take care, Karl

Okay, it actually looks better ON than off. This reminds me of Baltimore Ravens recent ring....horrible in pictures but looks decent when being worn. It's a funny phenomenon, but I swear it's real. Yes, this ring is similar to Clevelands awhile back. Good observation there. It would be neater if the Kings were the first to do it. Although it's different sports and different reasons for the design (team logo vs. a symbol of the game). Also, the pictures LMU just posted and the ones on the Kings website are much better than the first snapshot.

Dude, seriously, PLEASE tell me that is not the actual ring. Please please please. To the others who wondered about the home plate effect, it is simply a representation of the Logo on the front of their jerseys. That's the new Kings logo for the past few years. The logo is cool, but the ring is not....Unless additional pictures show me something else. Karl

A hall of famer I met told me that the HOF allowed the old timers to <i><b>purchase </i></b> the new ring, but it costs thousands of dollars. Some of the old guys are are very limited income and the person I spoke wit told me he was going to pass. That's disgusting. Wow. Yes, most of the old timers have limited means. They didn't make that much money. First of all, not every old timer would want the new one. But even if they did, the NFL could buy rings for ALL of them and not even BLINK. Why not have an exchange program where old timers could turn in the ring they already have (they're made of gold, right?) and the League would finance the balance for a new ring? I didn't know until recently that the NFL is tax exempt as a 'non-profit corporation'. Did you guys know that? I don't think people know that generally....

I think it's great that they upgraded the Hall of Fame rings. Those rings are now really befitting of the honor they represent. And I agree with you once again, dralec, those rings look really nice and well designed. I wonder if the guys from past years would be able to get this new ring? You know, get an upgrade?

Hi Karl:I have not seen any official news yet, but last time it was in mid January that Kings got their rings. I am pretty sure it will be Tiffany's again as AEG which owns Kings has a long standing history with TIffany's as they have produced not only Kings rings but Galaxy's last MLS cup rings also. Hopefully Tiffanys will have larger and better looking rings that last ones. Jostens has been producing really nice Stanley Cup rings, maybe Tiffanys will step it up this time around. I forgot AEG owns the Galaxy! You're right.....it'll be Tiffany most likely. However, it won't be in January. Remember, there was a strike the year after the Kings first won the Cup and the season started VERY LATE. In fact, to add insult to injury, the Kings were not even allowed to design their championship rings until AFTER the strike! I just read on the Kings website that they're going to hand out the rings in a private event prior to raising the Banner in Staples Center on opening night. I guess the players were out on the ice too long for the first banner raising and got shellacked by Chicago. So, they're doing it differently this time, including NOT handing out championship rings on the ice! I just hope the ring is better this time. The first ring was crap. I seriously thought in was a joke or hoax when I first saw it. It looked like the replica ring they hand out to the fans the following season. I mean honestly, black enamel on the teams logo on top of the ring?? You gotta be kidding me....... Karl

Hey guys, has anyone heard about the LA Kings Stanley Cup rings?? Is Tiffany doing it again? Any info out there? You'd think as a Kings fan I'd know these things, but I haven't seen anything out here in SoCal. Might have missed something I guess. TIA, Karl

I totally agree with your thoughts. I have been told by a few jewelers that ring can now be scanned into computer software and a copy can be made with much better results than the was mold process. Pretty scary stuff! I worked at a large privately owned jewelry store that made jewelry on premise, and they had a CAD-CAM program that you would not believe. That made it possible to do SO MANY things. Best of all were the wax models that you could produce for clients so they could see EXACTLY what they were going to get. Very helpful In that regard. But in the hands of someone unscrupulous, it would be a nightmare. I don't see why they couldn't reproduce an already existing ring to EXACT standards and precision. In fact, look at what I just told you about making a wax for a client......that would be the first step to casting a ring, any ring.....including a fraudulent championship ring. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Oh, also....this is why it's so great that you (Mike) and YMAR and TJ and others share pictures of the REAL RINGS for posterity's sake. That way we can all keep a wary eye on the 'market'. Not to mention I LOVE ring pictures! Karl

Oh yeah, Win Graham....I remember seeing his stuff years ago. Maybe even back in the nineties(?). His collection is impressive. Maybe we should make contact with him and invite him to join our discussion thread here? Just a thought. Clearly this guy is passionate about rings, albeit Texas Longhorn rings. But he would fit right in with this bunch! The other fella whose pictures I've enjoyed for many years (beginning in the 90's for sure) was YMAR. I know you're on this board from time to time, so I just wanted to thank you for those huge EBay auctions you used to do. All those pictures were total ring porn for me! sorry things didn't work out well with EBay, hopefully your business wasn't hurt by that. I know they made you quite angry. Now in recent years Mikes site and TJ's collectibles are great sites for ring pictures. Oh and someone posted that other site 'rings that bling' or something, that's good too. One thing that seems increasingly important, is that we somehow preserve the pictures of original and legitimate championship rings. Mike is doing a great job pointing out the fakes, but it's alarming how many more fake pictures I'm seeing out there. If you didn't already know what these rings are SUPPOSED TO look like, you could easily get fooled. Another trend seems to be where they are making copies of actual legitimate rings, probably using wax impressions. So what you have is a nearly identical ring, but if you look closely you can spot the uneven lines, blemishes and mistakes. It's unsettling. Karl

Thanks dralec. That was a cool video. I guess they were trying to play up the "precious metal" angle so it sounded more prestigious than it really is. Oh man, I just realized I said "precious". Cue the "Lord of the Rings" jokes.....