Rubies, diamonds and a sapphire boasting a total weight of 10.2 carats add patriotic pizzazz to the Washington Capitals' 2018 Stanley Cup rings. The handcrafted, two-tone rings, which commemorate the 44-year-old franchise's first championship, were unveiled to players, coaches and hockey staff during a private ceremony on Monday night.
Overall, the 14-karat yellow and white gold rings are set with 252 diamonds, 35 rubies and one sapphire. Jostens partnered with the Capitals to craft a ring that pays special tribute to the relationship between the team and the nation's capital.
Three custom-cut, star-shaped rubies accent the Capitals logo on the face of the ring. The three stars are inspired by the Washington, D.C. flag, where they represent the capital, Virginia and Maryland.
The logo is rendered in blue and red enamel and lies above a circular ground of 27 pavé-set diamonds. Those white diamonds are framed by 28 custom taper-cut rubies. The words “STANLEY CUP" and "CHAMPIONS” in raised yellow gold lettering wrap around the upper and lower edge of the ring face.
Exactly 157 round white diamonds create a cascading waterfall effect down the shoulders of the ring.
Just below the shoulders is a single row of 22 channel-set princess-cut diamonds interrupted by the words "WASHINGTON DC" and the player's name. These are also rendered in raised yellow-gold lettering.
In addition to the player's name, the left side of the ring features the Capitol building, which is created in stunning detail from 14-karat white gold. A star-shaped ruby and star-shaped sapphire are set on either side of the Capitol dome. The player’s numbers are set with round white diamonds to the right of the Capitol.
The right side of the ring displays the year 2018 and the famous Stanley Cup rendered in white round diamonds. One star-shaped ruby on the Cup represents the team’s first Stanley Cup Championship. The two additional star-shaped rubies flanking the Cup commemorate the Capitals’ two Eastern Conference Championships.
The interior of the ring is engraved with the Capitals’ logo surrounded by smaller logos of their playoff opponents and the victory totals from each series. The Capitals battled back from a 2–0 series deficit against the Columbus Blue Jackets to win the first-round series in six games. In the second round, the Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games, and then advanced to the finals after knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. The Capitals earned their first Stanley Cup by closing out the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
"These rings will now forever be a reminder for the players, coaches, and fans: We did it," said Capitals owner Ted Leonsis in a release. "We are thrilled today to be able to unveil this beautiful ring, which will always be a proud symbol of the Capitals' incredible 2018 Stanley Cup run and the unbreakable bond they created among all Caps fans who shared in the joy of that moment together."
Credits: Images courtesy of Jostens.