Jewels and Gems: Are the junior class rings too expensive?  Jewels and Gems: Are the junior class rings too expensive? 
BY JENNA HEDRICK Senior year is the most anticipated and exciting year of high school for most students at CCHS, and for our juniors,... Jewels and Gems: Are the junior class rings too expensive? 

BY JENNA HEDRICK

Senior year is the most anticipated and exciting year of high school for most students at CCHS, and for our juniors, this next chapter is right around the corner. 

Grad bash, prom and college preparation are only some of the thrilling moments of senior year that get one prepared to venture off to college. Just the same, juniors must get prepared for their senior year, which includes picking out the notorious class ring. 

Class rings are a huge part of high school, signifying the accomplishments students have made throughout the years. To most, the ring is a precious memory that they get to wear at any time in the future to remember some of the fun times of high school.

Juniors get to pick out the size, gem type, style and more in the process of getting their ring. Students take lots of time to be sure their ring is perfect and something they would want to wear when they’re older or at least to have for safekeeping. 

Overall, the glitz, the glam and the sparkle are all in the rings, but many have questioned where the line would be drawn financially wise. 

The jewelry company Jostens designs the rings for CCHS students. They’re famous for their unique making of high school class rings and professional football rings. The normal price range is around $200-$300 and for many, this price is just simply too much.

“In my opinion, a lot of the rings are kind of hideous,” junior Brinaya Bastien said. “Plus you should not have to rely on paying around $300 to make memories.” 

Bastien has a point where the rings may not appeal to everyone’s eye. With a minimum of five designs and a price range so high, it could draw many students away from purchasing. 

“I feel like they should change the prices to get more people to buy them so that they are more affordable for people to cherish,” junior Rachel Mansfield said. 

Lowering the price would make things easier on students however, Jostens uses real and expensive jewels and the process of developing the rings takes much effort and time. 

“It is very pricey but in my personal opinion it is worth getting because you’re not going to have any other things to remember [about] your school,” senior Angel Garrido said. “Even if it was a bad high school experience [for someone] it is still with it to get the ring to keep those memories and to represent what school you went to.”

Junior class rings shouldn’t be such a stretch financially and they should be at least $100 less than what they are currently.