NFL Haute Couture Helmets by 48 Top Fashion Designers Up For Auction

Together with the NFL and CFDA, Bloomingdale's enlisted 48 top fashion designers ranging from John Varvatos to Diane von Furstenberg to create their own version of Haute Couture Football Helmets which are now being auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the NFL Foundation*.





The auction began January 15th and continues through February 4th. Bid on your favorites here

*The National Football League Foundation (NFL Foundation) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety of sports, youth football and the communities in which we live. The NFL Foundation represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health and safety of athletes, youth football, and the communities which support our game.

The Ravens Finally Get Their Bling. A Look At The 2013 NFL Championship Ring.

Earlier this month the Baltimore Ravens presented players and staff with their Super Bowl XLVII Championship Ravens Rings during a private ceremony today at The Under Armour Performance Center. Created by Jostens, the leading national custom jewelry designer and producer, the World Championship Ring commemorates the Ravens remarkable 2012 season and marks the second time the Ravens have brought the Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore.



"Emotions ran high as players, coaches and staff were presented with their rings, which symbolize the determination required to win the Super Bowl," said Ravens President, Dick Cass. "The rings are beautiful visual representations of what it means to be a Raven – physical, tough-minded, hardworking and resilient."




The truly one-of-a-kind ring pays tribute to the rich history and tradition of one of football’s most successful franchises. The design, hand-crafted by Jostens Championship Design team and led by Master Jeweler Miran Armutlu, is fashioned in white and yellow gold and with 243 round cut diamonds. In the center of the ring, the Baltimore Ravens logo is outlined with 40 round brilliant cut diamonds sitting atop a dazzling custom-cut amethyst stone. Behind the logo are two Vince Lombardi Trophies set with 32 round brilliant cut diamonds and two stunning marquise diamonds weighing approximately .75 carats, representing the team’s two World Championship titles.





"Jostens is proud to be a partner with the Baltimore Ravens and to collaborate with them on the creation of a ring that celebrates the team’s inclusive culture, winning traditions and their achieving professional football’s pinnacle triumph, the forty-seventh Super Bowl title," said Chris Poitras, Director, Sports Sales and Marketing, Jostens. "Every element of the ring was designed specifically to highlight the best qualities of each of the materials featured. It’s a singularly beautiful piece of fine jewelry that reflects the ultimate unity of the team."

To celebrate the enduring support of Ravens fans during this championship season, the team collaborated again with the Championship Design team at Jostens to create a custom selection of personalized jewelry and collectibles with designs inspired by the Super Bowl XLVII Championship Rings.


above: Josten's collection of Raven's jewelry inspired by the Super Bowl XLVII Championship Rings

The collection offers every Baltimore Ravens fan the chance to own a piece of Ravens history and, beginning June 7th, can be ordered online at Jostens. 

See and learn more about all the Super Bowl rings to date here

Super Serious Super Bowl Ring Bling Info. New Details, Pics and Facts About All The NFL Championship Rings.

Each year I run this post, updated to include the latest NFL Championship Ring. This year, I've also updated several of the specific jewelry design facts and added new images.

One of the most recognizable pieces of bling are given to the players of the National Football League's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Who makes them? Who gets them? What are they worth?

What's On Each Ring?

The rings almost always include the team's name, logo, and Super Bowl number (usually in Roman numerals), the final game score and the names of the particular player. Several include inscriptions of team's mantras or mission statements such as the Baltimore Raven's "Set the Standard."

Most of the rings also have larger diamonds or diamonds made into the shape of the Lombardi trophy, that represent the number of Super Bowls that franchise has won.

For example, Pittsburgh's 2008 ring has six trophies and six large diamonds, representing the six Super Bowls they have won to date:

above: The Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIII ring weighs 104 grams and incorporates 63 round, brilliant cut diamonds totaling 3.61 carats. The colored gems appear to be citrine, pink tourmaline and blue topaz.

What Are The Rings Made Of?

Gold:
The rings are predominantly crafted of 10k or 14k yellow or white gold (in some cases, both). The varying degrees of yellowness in the gold depends both upon its purity and the other ores with which it is mixed (brass adds yellow, copper adds red, silver adds  white).

Diamonds:
Earth-mined white diamonds are clearly the stone of choice for the Championship rings. Many feature Marquis cut stones because of their resemblance to the shape of a football. Brilliant cut (round) stones in many sizes from solitaires to pave (chips) cover the majority of the rings. Some feature tapered baguettes and still others square or princess cut stones.


above: The Super Bowl XXIX San Francisco Forty Niners ring (by Balfour) shown above features 5 large Marquis cut diamonds and 5 tapered baguettes along with pave diamonds.

Enamel:
Many of the rings, especially the earlier ones, feature accents of single colored enamel such as the examples shown below:


All three New England Patriots rings featured 2 colors of enamel:


Colored Diamonds:
The Denver Broncos seem to favor colored diamonds as an accent. You can see the use of the cognac, brown or yellow diamonds found in their two consecutive Championship rings for Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, made by Diamond Cutters Int'l and Jostens, respectively:


The Baltimore Ravens Championship Ring from Super Bowl XXXV, made by Jostens, has enamel, cognac or yellow diamonds and a ruby for the eye:


Rubies:
The Washington Redskins Championship Ring from Super Bowl XXII was the first to feature rubies along with diamonds and the first ring made by Tiffany & Co.:


Sapphires:
Adding some blue to the bling, there are 37 sapphires (and some blue enamel) in the most recent ring for the NY Giants from Super Bowl XLVI by Tiffany & Co.:


I don't know how much the total carat weight varies from year to year or the actual market value, but here are some facts about the rings:

Who Pays For Them?

•The NFL pays up to $5,000* per ring, with up to 150 rings per team. The NFL pays for the cost of 150 rings to the winning team, at roughly $5,000 apiece, depending upon the fluctuating cost of gold and diamonds. If the rings are over the $5,000 limit, the team owners must make up the difference.

* I suspect, with the increase in the price of gold over the past five years, this number is now higher

•Recent rings have been appraised in excess of $20,000, with some valued at $45,000. but manufacturers keep this information confidential.

Who Makes Them?

•The rings are made by the company of the winning team's choosing. The majority of the Championship Super Bowl rings have been manufactured by Jostens in Denton, Texas. They've made 30 of the past 46 rings.

•The Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLI) rings were manufactured by Herff Jones (based in Indianapolis), at their Warwick, Rhode Island ring plant.

•Austin, TX based Balfour Company has manufactured nine Super Bowl rings to date.

• Diamond Cutters International of Houston, Texas has manufactured two of the rings thus far; for the Dallas Cowboys (Super Bowl XXX)  and the Denver Broncos (Super Bowl XXXII)

• Tiffany & Co. has now made five of the rings; Washington Redskins (Super Bowl XXII),  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Super Bowl XXXVII), New York Giants (Super Bowl XLII), New Orleans Saints (Super Bowl XLIV) and the most recent for the New York Giants (Super Bowl XLVI).

Tasteful? No.
Impressive? Yep.

The rings are made after the game for obvious reasons, so this years' ring is not included among the images below, shown in chronological order.

Rings from 1966-1974:


Rings from 1975-1983:


Rings from 1984-1992:


Rings from 1993-2001:


Rings from 2002-2010:


The 46th Super Bowl ring:


And now, added on June of 2013, The 47th Super Bowl Ring:

Blinged Out Brain Buckets. NFL Helmets With Hand Applied Swarovski Crystals.

In addition to blinging out animal and human skulls, artist Quinn Gregory of Chicago also takes authentic Riddell Proline Football Helmets (as worn by NFL players) and hand-applies over 12,500 Swarovski crystals to them.


above: Chiefs, Cowboys and Bengals Swarovski Crystal embellished football helmets by Quinn Gregory

The process takes 3 weeks to complete and the finished helmet is a truly stunning conversation piece that any football fanatic - or player- would cherish in their home or office.

Kansas City Chiefs Helmet:




Quinn was commissioned to create one of these beautiful brain buckets for Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones. The helmet is to be auctioned off at the Team's annual charity event.

Dallas Cowboys helmet:


Cincinnati Bengals helmet:




Quinn can be commissioned to design a Swarovski encrusted Helmet for all NFL teams or NCAA college helmets at the price of $1,800. You can contact him with any requests or questions here


Quinn Gregory

All 46 Superbowl Rings To Date And Some Fun Facts About Them.

Don't fret, further in this post, each of the above rings are shown enlarged for detail.

A NEW MORE DETAILED POST WITH BIGGER PICS AND MORE INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE

One of the most recognizable pieces of bling are given to the players of the National Football League's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Who makes them? Who gets them? What are they worth?

The rings almost always include the team's name, logo, and Super Bowl number (usually in Roman numerals). Most of the rings also have larger diamonds or diamonds made into the shape of the trophy, that represent the number of Super Bowls that franchise has won.

For example, Pittsburgh's 2008 ring has six trophies and six large diamonds, representing the six Super Bowls they have won to date:

above: The Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIII ring weighs 104 grams and incorporates 63 round, brilliant cut diamonds totaling 3.61 carats.

I don't know how much the total carat weight varies year to year or the actual market value, but here are some facts about the rings, courtesy of Wikipedia:

•The NFL pays up to $5,000.00 per ring, with up to 150 rings per team. The NFL pays for the cost of 150 rings to the winning team, at roughly $5,000 apiece, depending upon the fluctuating cost of gold and diamonds. If the rings are over the $5,000 limit, the team owners must make up the difference.

•Recent rings have been appraised in excess of $20,000, with some valued at $45,000. but manufacturers keep this information confidential

•The rings are made by the company of the winning team's choosing. The majority of the Championship Super Bowl rings have been manufactured by Jostens in Denton, Texas. They've made 28 of the past 43 rings.

•The Indianapolis Colts' Super Bowl rings were manufactured by Herff Jones (based in Indianapolis), at their Warwick, Rhode Island ring plant.

•Austin, TX based Balfour Company has manufactured numerous Super Bowl Rings

Tasteful? No.
Impressive? Yep.

The rings are made after the game for obvious reasons, so this years' ring is not included among the images below, shown in chronological order.

Rings from 1966-1974:

Rings from 1975-1983:

Rings from 1984-1992:

Rings from 1993-2001:

Rings from 2002-2009:


UPDATE: Here are the 45th (2010) and 46th (2011) Super Bowl rings:

Super Bowl Rings, The Bling For The Past 44 Years

above: The most recent addition to the years of superbowl bling is the 2009 ring above awarded to the New Orleans Saints for their victory over the Indianapolis Colts from Super Bowl XLIV on feb 10, 2010 photo by Derick Hinkle

This post has been updated to include the rings from 2007, 2008 and 2009, so now that's 44 rings.

Original post:
I honor of yesterday's 42nd Super Bowl, I thought I'd share with you the Super Bowl Championship Rings, awarded to each member of the winning team as well as the coaches, from 1966-2006. The majority were manufactured by Jostens (you know, the college class ring people?), and the rings have varied quite a bit over the years.



Above: the final score of the 42nd Super Bowl

The rings almost always include the team's name, logo, and Super Bowl number (usually in Roman numerals). Most of the rings also have larger diamonds or diamonds made into the shape of the trophy, that represent the number of Super Bowls that franchise has won (e.g, Pittsburgh's 2005 ring has five trophies, representing the five Super Bowls they have won).

I don't know how much the total carat weight varies year to year or the value, but here are some little facts about the rings (courtesy of Wikipedia):

•The NFL pays up to $5,000.00 per ring, with up to 150 rings per team. If the rings are over the $5,000 limit, the team owners must make up the difference.
•Recent rings have been appraised in excess of $20,000 but manufacturers keep this information confidential.
•The rings are made by the company of the winning team's choosing. Many Super Bowl rings have been manufactured by Jostens in Denton, Texas. The Indianapolis Colts' •Super Bowl rings were manufactured by Herff Jones (based in Indianapolis), at their Warwick, Rhode Island ring plant.
•Austin, TX based Balfour Company has manufactured numerous Super Bowl Rings

Tasteful? No. Impressive? Yep.

All the Superbowl rings to date:


Above, left to right, rings from 1966-1974

Above, left to right, rings from 1975-1983

Above, left to right, rings from 1984-1992

Above, left to right, rings from 1993-2001


Above, left to right, rings from 2002-2009


To read stories that accompany each ring and winning team, click here.