Pittsburgh Steelers and Jostens collaborate to create historic Super Bowl XLIII ring

June 11, 2009 (PRLEAP.COM) Sports News
MINNEAPOLIS – June 11, 2009 – The Pittsburgh Steelers and Jostens have collaborated to create the historic Super Bowl XLIII ring, an icon that captures the story of the first team to win six NFL World Championships. Jostens delivered the rings from their Denton, Texas jewelry plant to Pittsburgh for the private player ring ceremony held June 9th.

"Our Super Bowl XLIII ring is going to be cherished as a symbol of the team's outstanding accomplishments during the 2008 season," said Steelers President Art Rooney II. "We appreciate the great work Jostens put into making this ring one of the most spectacular in NFL history."

Creating the design to recognize the first team to win six NFL World Championships began at Steelers headquarters in February as Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney and Steelers President Art Rooney met with Jostens' CEO Tim Larson and members of their Championship ring team. It was a fitting occasion that the first team to win six Super Bowls would collaborate with the company that helped Vince Lombardi create the very first Super Bowl ring for the Green Bay Packers in 1967.

"The Steelers, starting with the Rooneys, were tremendous to work with and inspired us to create an entirely new championship ring experience," said Tim Larson, president and CEO, Jostens. "The ring is remarkable and truly fitting for the first team to win six NFL World Championships."

The collaborative effort focused on delivering a great looking ring, reflecting the story of the season and the Steelers historic achievements. Six round brilliant cut diamonds surround the Steelers logo, drawing attention to the ring crest and individually signifying a Super Bowl victory.

With roots in the steel industry, the Steelers logo is formed with yellow, red and blue hypocycloids sitting atop a football-shaped design created with 32 round diamonds. Seven diamonds at each tip of the football announce the seven AFC Championships and combined, the resulting14 diamonds signify the number of Division titles in Steelers football history. The titles "Pittsburgh Steelers" and "World Champions" border the ring crest.

One side of the ring depicts six Lombardi Trophies rising from Heinz Field to signify the support and loyalty of Steelers fans. "Pittsburgh 27" and "Arizona 23" flank the Lombardi Trophies to mark the game's final score. The ring side includes the official logo of Super Bowl XLIII on a field of green enamel.

The opposing side of each ring is personalized with the respective player's name and number, making it a one-of-kind personalized trophy and recognizing an accomplishment shared only with an elite group of professional athletes. The side incorporates the recognizable Pittsburgh Steelers helmet and the shield of the NFL to acknowledge affiliation with both team and league.

The ring is cast in 14 karat yellow gold with black antique backgrounds, reminiscent of Steelers colors. The ring weighs 104 grams (approximately 3.7 ounces) with 63 round brilliant cut diamonds totaling 3.61 carats.

Jostens had previously produced four Steelers Super Bowl rings and 28 of 43 Super Bowl rings produced to date. The ring was designed at Jostens' Minneapolis headquarters. All Jostens' Super Bowl rings and facts can be viewed at Jostens.com/sports/super_bowl.

About Jostens
Minneapolis-based Jostens is a provider of products, programs and services that help people celebrate important moments, recognize achievements and build affiliation. The Company's products include school yearbooks and other memory book products, scholastic products such as class rings and graduation products, and products for athletic champions and their fans. Jostens is a subsidiary of Visant Corporation, a marketing and publishing services enterprise servicing the school affinity, direct marketing, fragrance and cosmetics sampling and educational and trade publishing segments.

Contact information:
Rich Stoebe 952-830-3250
richard.stoebe@jostens.com