some of us would rather forget high school.
They were quite popular in my school in the 1980s.
That ring was supposed to be around her neck. What had she done, tossed it into the glove compartment?
It must be a regional thing. By the 60s in our area they were considered a real throwback. No one I even slightly knew ever got one.
One issue was that they had a short “lifespan”. The period from when you got one to when you graduated (for either high school or college) was so short that it wouldn’t see much use. After graduation it was something you put away and forgot about.
In our area(s) few kids went on to college (1970s) compared to today. In my original region and my later region (northeast PA to southwest PA) you graduated HS and went into the mills, mines, some garage somewhere or something like that. For the girls you got married and pregnant (or vice-versa). Maybe 10-15% of us went on to college and maybe 70% of that actually graduated even with a 2 year degree. So around those places, it was that ring or nothing. I actually know a few people who are still wearing those rings now more than 50 years later; sorta a tiny bit sad when you think about it.
I’m sure there was a lot of variation from school to school. I graduated High School in 1979, and although rings were offered, I’d estimate sales were less than 5% I don’t actually recall ever seeing one worn.
I am getting real used to the idea of “diminished expectations” but:
To be wearing a HS ring 50 years later has got to be one the saddest sights.
Springsteen did “Glory Days” about people who think of High School as their highest achievement.
It is a good little rocker of a song - as long as you pay no attention to the lyrics.
If you listen to the lyrics, it gets downright depressing.
I call them “Al Bundys.”
So Jostens doesn’t do their thing for most of y’all? This was 2001-2002, and they definitely did the ring stuff with us.
I have one. I like it, other than my stupid idea to get something in front of the stone. It has no logo or anything from my school, or any colors from it. It’s just a representation of who I was when I graduated, with my signature on the back.
I never gave it to anyone, and do not know if that was still a thing. I know giving varsity jackets was a thing. But I mostly remember seeing girls’ rings on girls and guys’ rings on guys.
oh, they came in and put their thing down. just wasn’t interested. I didn’t even want a yearbook, but my folks bought one without my knowledge. if they ever give it to me I’m tossing it on the grill and burning it.
Still very, very common in South Carolina in the early 1990s. (Of course, gold was “only” $350 an ounce back then. I’d think that skyrocketing gold prices are part of the reason for the drop in popularity.)
Not necessarily, 50 years ago completing high school in an economically disadvantaged family (and even now in some cases) could be a quite an achievement (they could have been the first in their family to complete high school), so I can understand how someone would still feel very proud of that ring.
I was considering starting a thread on this song! It came up in rotation and I had never paid attention to the lyrics before.
I think she ran into the train to die. She was kidnapped by the singer, being kept as a sex slave. Oh sure, he* thought* she loved him. But it was all in his head. She killed herself to get away. The ring just got knocked into her hand. The police never knew what was really going on.
What a bizarre song.
Agreed - I’m sure there’s wide variability. I graduated from a high school in a rural, fairly conservative area where a lot of the kids had parents who graduated from the same school.
Class rings were still a thing in my school in the 1980’s.
Just do it in drag, it will be fine.
When I was in high school, probably in my sophomore or junior year (so, sometime around 1980 or 1981), the Jostens salesman came to my high school, and gave everyone order forms for high school class rings. I was interested in one, but my father (in what was probably a mixture of frugality and insight) noted: “You’re planning to go to college. You’ll never wear your high school ring again after that.” So, no HS class ring for me.
I did get a college class ring (a gift from my parents), which I really loved, and wore all the time for about a decade, but I lost it, and never replaced it.
I call them “Dead Teenager Songs”.
Wiki prefers
My high school boyfriend and I exchanged class rings. We each wore the other’s ring on a chain around our necks. We ended the relationship during our freshman year in college, but never gave back the rings.
Just on the off chance that he would attend the 10 year reunion, I stuck his ring (yes, I still had it, I am the sentimental type) in my purse. He was there, and had brought mine as well. We had a nice moment catching up and giving back the rings.
I don’t recall it being done when I was in school (early-mid 90s), but class rings were still popular. I still have mine – I haven’t worn it it in years, but it’s still in my jewelry box. I would’ve gotten a college ring, but I couldn’t afford it at the time.