Herff Jones vs Balfour for April 2024 | Best Class Ring Companies

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Herff Jones vs Balfour

Friday, April 26th

2024 Class Ring Company Reviews

Herff Jones Review 2.5 Star Rating

Herff Jones

2.5 Star Rating
  • Priced from $549 to $2,570
  • Up to 74 ring styles in stock
  • Men's and women's rings
  • College, high school, and fashion rings
  • Lifetime warranty
  • "A+" rating and accreditation from the BBB

Herff Jones, established in 1920, offers a wide range of graduation-related items, including class rings. However, the website's requirement to input your school, limited product information, and a varying number of ring styles for each school can be frustrating. With customer reviews averaging 1 star, Herff Jones receives a lower rating in our review, balancing the large selection of high school rings with the concerns we have about delivery and trustworthiness.

Balfour Review 2 Star Rating

Balfour

2 Star Rating
  • Priced from $429.99 to $2,533.95
  • From 47 to 66 ring styles in stock
  • Men's and women's rings
  • Large selection of college and high-school rings
  • Repair with purchased warranty
  • Shipping around $20
  • "A+" rating and accreditation from the BBB

Balfour, a major player in commencement services, offers around 47-66 class rings per school. While Balfour has an "A+" BBB rating, customer reviews highlight issues with customer service, ring quality, and discrepancies between the website and the delivered product. Considering we also had some troubles with the website, these issues resulted in a lower rating due to our concerns over service and quality.

Where Can You Find the Best Class Rings?

For generations, the tradition of getting a class ring has been a significant part of the high school and college experience. This symbolic piece of jewelry is a physical representation of the hard work, dedication, and achievements you put in during your education.

A class ring can be traditional, just showing the details of your graduation year and school, or it can also become a tangible representation of your experience with engravings for your extracurricular activities, major, or other memories you made along the way. And you may be surprised to find out that buying class rings online has become an increasingly popular choice.

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Class Ring Company FAQ

A class ring is also sometimes referred to as a graduation, senior, or grad ring, and is worn by students and alumni to commemorate their graduation. They are usually large and carry the inscription of the school you're graduating from along with a central gemstone. The tradition of class rings originated in 1835 at West Point, the United States Military Academy.
A Class Ring has many purposes, but is mainly used as a symbol of your time in school. You can have the ring as a memento of your time when you are older. They are also fun to have during your time in school as a symbol of school pride. They are most often used for high school, but you can get yours for college or university as well!
Class Rings make great gifts! Since this is a personal gift, it might be best to work with the gift recipient to choose and design their ring. This is a really nice gift - you want to make sure they'll enjoy it!
A Class Ring is not necessary, but can be a very nice keepsake to have. Different schools have varying levels of importance over the accessory, but they are always a great addition to the school experience. A Class Ring can be a lifelong piece of memorabilia for people, and therefore be important to them.
This depends on you. Different stores will offer their own prices - some cater to the budget-minded, while others encourage more custom designed rings. The rings themselves can be less than $100, or get as high as in the thousands of dollars. The price will ultimately depend on what you select.
This depends on where you get the ring from. Many stores will let you design your own custom ring, ensuring you get exactly what you want - but this can cost much more. Other stores might offer less customization, but have plenty of inventory of stock class rings - and therefore cost less.
Most of these rings will come with a warranty from the provider. Each store will have their own policies, but generally if something happens to your ring within a certain timeframe, they will replace it for a fraction of the cost. A warranty might be something to look at when choosing your ring if this is a big concern.
This will depend on your ring and the store. The process to get your ring involves two steps, making the ring and shipping it. Making the ring will take longer with the more personalization you have, while a ring that is not customized will be ready to ship almost immediately. Shipping times and costs will depend on the store, but generally the longest it will take to arrive once sent out is two weeks.
Each store has their own return policies. Some stores will let you return a ring after 10 days, while some others allow up to 30 days. Some sellers won't let you return your ring, but they will work with you to make alterations until you're satisfied. Make sure to look at the policy of the store you end up choosing if you are concerned about this.
Having a class ring is a tradition that has passed down through the generations. It's a symbol of your educational achievements and accomplishments that you worked so hard for. They represent resilience, dedication, and engagement. Class rings also show school spirit and often highlight the interests you had while in school.
Most people purchase a class ring after a major graduation event. This includes high school graduation, college graduation, or the completion of grad school. It's not entirely necessary to buy a class ring for all of these occasions, but it is a symbol of honor and a good way to celebrate your big occasion.
Class rings have evolved for the better over time. There used to be only two options: a male and female class ring. Now they have choices for thin or thick bands, different types of metals, different gemstone colors, and ring shapes. There are designs to fit everyone's style, so you don't have to get a big, flashy ring like you've seen in the past (unless you want to!).
Besides choosing the style of ring you want, you will have the option of selecting the inscription of the ring on the inside and outside, the gemstone color, the graduation year, whether or not you want diamonds around the band, and more. You can make your class ring completely your own and dream up just about any design you want! You want to love your class ring, so put plenty of time and effort into customizing it to perfection!
It's hard to say exactly how much a class ring will cost since there are so many design options. If you get a simple metal ring with an inscription and small gemstone, you can spend under $150. However, if you want to bling it out with diamonds, higher grade metal, and lots of color, you can spend as much as $1,000. The cost of your class ring will vary based on your taste and budget.
Some highly-ranked class ring retailers offer refunds on their products (custom or not) if you change your mind about it within a certain amount of time. Others will offer repairs and alterations at no charge if the ring comes damaged or it appears differently than what was agreed upon at the time of purchase. However, since class rings are custom, you should make sure you like what you see before buying and don't plan on trying to send it back unless it is defective.
Absolutely! Class rings are a great gift from siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or friends. Giving someone a class ring will not only be deeply meaningful, but they'll never forget your support. Since you can do so many customizations or personal inscriptions on a class ring, it makes it extra special when given as a gift.
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Continued from above...

There are many reasons why buying class rings online has become so trendy. One of the primary reasons behind the popularity of online class ring stores is the convenience they offer. Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar jewelers, these online stores provide a shopping experience that is accessible 24/7 from the comfort of your home. This convenience is particularly appealing to busy students or parents who may not have the time to visit physical stores during regular business hours.

Online class ring stores also boast a wide array of customization options, letting you design a ring that perfectly captures your personal style and academic achievements. From selecting the metal and stone, to adding engravings and choosing the design elements, these online stores let you create a custom piece that holds sentimental value and serves as a tangible reminder of your educational journey.

Class rings used to be a fairly limited commodity. You would pick a ring from a booklet (or website) offered by your school, and you might find a handful of designs for your school or major field. Now, online shopping provides a platform for you to compare prices, and explore various band colors, stones, engraving options, and sizes from jewelry specialists around the world. You can create an individualized class ring that fits with your educational accomplishments and also with your personal style.

Whether you're treating yourself to this timeless memento or gifting it to a cherished member of your family, a class ring is a treasure that captures the memories of college or high school. Picking out the right one will make sure that those memories ring (pun intended) true to your or your loved one's school experience.

You may want a ring that offers your school's crest to memorialize your experience there. Or maybe you'd prefer something more minimal with just your school's color scheme? Maybe you (or your loved one) are a sports player and need a ring that matches the ones of your teammates. Or maybe you want to go off-book entirely and design a class ring from scratch. There are tons of options on the market these days. If you can imagine a class ring, someone can make it for you.

But if you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of choices, we've put together some key points that might help you narrow your options when selecting a class ring provider:

  • Selection. Different retailers offer many different styles of rings. Finding a retailer with a large selection can help you do a lot of browsing in less time. Plus, you want to make sure the right metal quality, stone options, and design elements are available for your school. Choose a store with a wide selection of rings and styles so you can find the best one-of-a-kind ring for your finger.
  • Cost. Class rings can get expensive, especially as you add on customizations. If you're celebrating a college grad, you may want to shell out a bit more than a middle or high school celebration. Find a store that has a decent cost variety that balances metal and stone quality with value so you can make that graduation day special without breaking the bank.
  • Production time. How long does your chosen retailer take to ship your ring? Are you going to be able to get it in time for that special day? While most sites ship within 4-8 weeks, some are much faster or offer expedited shipping.
  • Reputation. With something custom-made from precious metals, you want to make sure you get the right one. Checking out customer reviews and ratings from the Better Business Bureau can help you feel more confident. Keep an eye out for concerns regarding quality or customer service to help guide your ultimate decision.

With these factors in mind, we hope you feel confident to begin selecting that commemorative ring for you or your top-notch student. To make the process as easy as possible, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the best class ring stores available today. Now, break out your creative design hat and enjoy crafting a custom class ring that will become a lifelong symbol of your (or your student's) academic journey for years to come. Congrats, Grad!

The Best Reviews of Class Ring Companies