Class rings were one of the most important high school mementos to our parents. They are more important than the prom dresses moms have sealed in boxes in the attic or the leather jackets dads wore with pride.

However, traditions have drastically changed. As the opportunity has rolled around to order class rings, sophomores have not been as enthusiastic.

“I’m not ordering a class ring, because honestly, I don’t care,” sophomore Ryan Wick said. “I really hope I don’t regret it.”

Herff Jones, a popular class ring company in the Midwest, provided students with an easy to follow catalogue that mapped out all the decisions for stone choice, fonts and symbols to represent the activities students participated in.

Despite the organized catalogue, students of our day and age prefer the easy process of ordering a yearbook rather than the complicated process of a class ring.

“Class rings cost a lot. I would rather just look at yearbooks with my friends,” sophomore Priya Malla said. Depending on when you purchase a yearbook, they can cost $58-$65. Class rings cost upwards of $250.

For many students, the fear of losing such an expensive item is what stops them from buying one. The parents of such students also don’t feel comfortable making such an investment in something their child is sure to lose.

Even adults that have class rings report that they never wear them. My mom’s class ring is somewhere in our attic, and my dad isn’t all that sure where his is.

“I ordered a class ring in high school,” A.P. European history teacher Andrew Ovington said. “I have worn it zero times. Maybe to graduation, but that’s it.”

It’s clear that the popularity of class rings is declining. But a question that remains, what will replace this tradition?