The Ring

Introduction

I have been interested in major sporting events for a long time, primarily the Super Bowl. I remember the first Super Bowl game that Green Bay won. That was the beginning of the first Super Bowl Ring which was a very nondescript ring. The modern day Super Bowl Ring is a very large, gaudy and flashy ring made with solid gold and covered with diamonds. Go to Google and look up the Super Bowl Ring and you will see all 45 of them. The NFL pays approximately $5000 per ring and makes 150 rings for the winning team.

Recently several offshore companies have been making Super Bowl Rings using synthetic diamonds called cubic zirconia (CZ) plated with 18k yellow gold, retailing the rings on-line for $230+ and for $260+ if they customized it with your name and jersey number. In many cases, the high quality CZ has better characteristics (such as clarity) then real diamond and takes a jeweler to tell the difference.

Every year near Super Bowl time, I look at the Super Bowl Ring on Google and dream a bit. This year I was looking at New York Yankee�s Mickey Mantle Hall of Fame Ring plated in 18k yellow gold and asked the manufacturer if they could make a ring for my team. To my surprise, they seem interested and were even willing to customize each ring with the players name and jersey number.

The first prototype

The challenge was to create the first prototype. The design of the ring is a cross between three rings: (1) a college ring with all of the banners and large rings cut into each shank, (2) the "top of the ring" is patterned after the "NY" of the New York Yankee World Series Ring with the same Navy blue gemstone background and the large ring of CZ (instead of diamonds) around the "AC" and (3) Oakland Raiders Super Bowl Ring with quarterbacks name (GANNON), position (QUARTERBACK) and jersey number (12) cast into the right shank. In my ring I have my name (KEN HAMADA) and position (RACE DIRECTOR) cast into the right shank. If I had a finish time, I could use that for my jersey number (32:17).

Description

This is a Super Bowl Style Ring: large custom championship ring. The ring is made plated with 18k yellow gold or solid Sterling Silver plated with 18k white gold. The gemstones on Top of the Ring is made of AAA Graded Cubic Zirconia. All gemstones are prong set. The Navy blue background is a gemstone. The ring is packed in very nice gift box. The yellow gold plated ring will be engraved with "18k". The white gold plated ring will be engraved with both "Sterling" and "18k".

Each Ring is "custom made" for each runner and comes with the following information:

27th Annual
August 2, 2014
FINISHER
Name
Finisher time

Requirement

When the runner finishes the race and wants to purchase the Ring, he/she must provide the following information:

Name
2014 Finish Time
Ring Size
Mailing address

and pay via credit card on the website or via Square/credit card in Wrightwood or at the Finish Line, if the Ring is still available. Only a limited number of Rings will be available. Qualified runners will have priority to "pre-order" the Ring. The Ring will be mailed to you after the race.

Requirement to purchase the Ring on August 3, 2014 (Sunday) after you finish the race.

One previous Finish and finish the 2014 race: need the date and finish time of the previous finish.
Qualification: Option A: State how you have supported the race in the last year, working with the AC100 Organization to improve the overall quality of the race, e.g. performing trail maintenance (beyond the basic 8 hour requirement), leading/supporting a wilderness aid station, supporting the Ultra Medical Team, marking/sweeping the trails, supporting the HAM team, supporting the Start and Finish team, etc. Option B: If you have not supported the race in the past, state how you would support the race in the future.
Personal Data for the 2014 Race that will be "cast" into the right shank. All 2014 race will have the following information "cast" into each Ring:
- Name: e.g. GARRY CURRY * (Limited to 12 letters that includes space between first and last name. If you have more then 12 characters, then use your last name. Only capital letters will be accepted. Do not use Jr, II, III, Mc, etc). Use first and last name or last name. No initial.
- Finish time: e.g. 32:17 * (HH:MM)
- Mailing address, email address and phone number *
Ring size *:7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 13, 13.5, 14
Cost of the Ring:
- The ring plated with 18k yellow gold is $260.00.
- The solid Sterling Silver ring plated with 18k white gold is $370.00
All prices include sales tax. You may order the Ring on the website with a credit card or use Square/credit card in Wrightwood or at the Finish Line.
The white gold plated ring will be on display at both Wrightwood and at the Finish Line.
The yellow gold plated ring has not been made yet. The "top of the ring" and the "left shank" (with the Ram) of the yellow gold plated ring is identical to the silver ring. A picture of the 3D model of the "right shank" is provided. See a 3D model of this ring.

To give the runner a perspective of the transition of the 3D model to the final design, a picture of the 3D model of the "right shank" of the silver ring is provided. See a 3D model of this ring.

Only the Name of the Runner (e.g. GARRY CURRY) and his Finish Time (e.g. 32:17) is changed on the "right shank" as shown on the 3D model.

Also a picture of Mickey Mantle's Hall of Fame ring plated with 18k yellow gold is shown to give you a feel of the detailed artwork captured on the ring.
You may "pre-order" the Ring if: (1) you have one previous Finish and (2) meet the Qualification Requirement. But you must finish the 2014 race to complete the order. If you "pre-order" the Ring and do not finish the 2014 race, we will refund the entire amount you paid.

Custom Milestone Ring

Sterling Silver/18K White Gold Custom Milestone rings are available e.g. 1000 MILES, 2000 MILES, 3000 MILES, COURSE RECORD. Price upon request.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

* Required