UT Class Rings Post Near-Record Sales

By Lynn Freehill in Association on October 10, 2011 at 3:52 pm | No Comments

Gold prices have more than doubled in the last few years. But that hasn’t slowed the demand for UT class rings, which recorded their second-highest sales period ever last week.

The Texas Exes promote the official ring each fall and spring. And when gold rose from $1,000 per ounce just a couple years ago to more than $1,600 this year, chief operating officer Bill McCausland’s brow furrowed. He felt concerned that people would buy fewer rings, making it less of a UT tradition.

Not to worry. This year, the Exes sold 1,019,  just 112 short of the all-time record of 1,131 in fall 2007.

“I think that the class ring is becoming more accepted, more desired, and more indicative of a student’s accomplishments at the University,” says McCausland, BJ ’83, who still treasures his own class ring from UT’s centennial year.

With UT’s admissions and academics growing more selective than ever, “just to get to the point where you’re eligible for one is an accomplishment,” he adds.

Many students seem to want to show off that prestigious UT-Austin education in the professional realm, ring program coordinator Katie Lauck says. “A lot of students tell me that in the business world, they want to have a symbol of their accomplishments,” she says.

Learn more about the rings, manufactured by Balfour, and how to order one here. Or share the story of what yours means to you here.

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