Steelers' 2008 championship ring

Yet another NFL history was made when the Pittsburgh Steelers downed the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII last year, snagging a record-setting sixth Super Bowl title. The Steelers’ largest super Bowl bauble till date was the championship right crafted by Minneapolis, Minn. based Jostens.

According to a release from Jostens, the rings contain 63 round brilliant cut diamonds totaling 3.61 carats. The basic idea behind the design which was created by Jostens and the team officials was to reflect the success story of the Steelers’ 2008 season and the history of the organization.

The six round brilliant cut diamonds appear on the top of the ring, each representing the Steelers’ Super Bowl victories. The Steelers logo was crafted using colored gemstones, Jostens spokesman Rich Stoebe said that the Steelers did not release the information on what type were used.

At each tip of ring there are seven diamonds representing the number of American Football Conference (AFC) Championships won and the other 14 stones signify the number of Division titles the Steelers history. The ring also features the official Super Bowl XLIII logo on a field of green enamel and six Lombardi Trophies rising from Heinz Field to signify the support and loyalty of the Steelers' fans.

The ring is shed in 14 carat yellow gold on a black background, a nod to the team’s colors. The opposing side of each ring is personalized with each player’s name and number. The president of Steelers, Art Rooney II and Jostens Chief Executive Officer, Tim Larson said that the easy partnership between the two organizations has resulted in the crafting of this remarkable ring.

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

The spokesperson Stoebe said as of now neither Jostens nor the Steelers was releasing the details on the price, cost or appraisal value of the rings. Jostens Website shows that the company has been responsible for designing five of the six championship rings won by the storied Steelers franchise. Super Bowl X is the only championship for which Steelers' players don't sport a Jostens design.

Jostens released that the ring was created in its Denton, Texas facility and was delivered to Pittsburgh for a private player ring ceremony on June 9.
Unfortunately, another pending championship for the city overshadowed the presentation of the rings to the players. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the ceremony was moved up and some players scooted out early to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins play the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals that night.

The Penguins eventually ended up winning the Stanley Cup in seven games. there is no information till date that which company will get to design Pittsburgh's second professional championship ring of the year.