How much are the rings that the winners of the Super Bowl will receive?

You don't have to be a football fan to know what the Vince Lombardi Trophy is, the one made by Tiffany & Co. and given to each Super Bowl winner. But did you know they also get a glitzy, gem-studded ring that can be worth over a quarter of a million dollars?

The tradition of awarding rings to Super Bowl winners dates back to 1977, when the Green Bay Packers became the first to receive one. On that occasion, the ring had a one-carat diamond.

[Photo: NFL]

To give you an idea of ​​how they've changed and become something of a luxury item, the last ring given to the 2019 Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots was made of 10-carat gold, 400 diamonds and 20 sapphires. . This also made it the most ostentatious in history.

How much they cost?

The cost of producing the rings is split between the NFL and the winning team. That is, the NFL gives up to 5 thousand dollars to produce 150 rings. The rest, depending on the customization that the winning team wants, and the missing rings, must be covered by them.

And it is that these jewels are distributed among the members of the team, coaches, executives and some other people who are considered important within the team. It is estimated that each year, between 300 and 500 rings are produced.

Of course, the players' rings are personalized with their jersey number and name.

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[Ahmad Bradshaw shows off his ring when the New York Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012. This ring was made by Tiffany & Co. Photo: Reuters]

It takes months to make

The ring doesn't start happening until there's a Super Bowl winner. Design time takes up to 8 weeks and once it is sent to production it can take between 4-6 weeks.

As if that were not enough, there are only three jewelers that have made this type of ring: Balfour, Tiffany & Co., which also designed the Vince Lombardi trophy, and Jostens, a company that has created 35 of the 53 rings that have been given in the Super Bowl history.

what are they made of

Traditionally, 10-carat white gold is used and covered with diamonds, sapphires or rubies. And usually the design tells the story of the winning team. For example, there are those who decide a certain number of precious stones to point out the marker with which they won, for example.

In 2010, the ring that the Green Bay Packers had made changed the tradition of using gold and having their jewelry made with platinum. And the one the New England Patriots had in 2019 is the most ostentatious yet, with a total of 400 diamonds and 20 sapphires.

[The last three rings the champions have received. Photo: NFL]

record prices

Although it is very rare that one of these rings is for sale, they have been auctioned.

The auction price record for a ring worn by a player was set in 2012, when the ring Lawrence Taylor won in 1991 when the New York Giants won Super Bowl XXV was sold. It sold for $230,401.

[Photo: NFL]

But the ring that has raised the most money at auction is one inscribed with "Brady," which Tom Brady gave to one of his relatives when he won Super Bowl LI with the New England Patriots. It reached a value of 344,971 dollars.

[Photo: NFL]