New England Patriots

Everything you need to know about the Patriots’ newest Super Bowl rings

By Nicole Yang

2 minutes to read

At a private ceremony hosted at team owner Robert Kraft’s Brookline residence, members of the New England Patriots received their latest Super Bowl rings on Friday night.

After a painstaking production process…

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…and highly secured delivery…

…the Super Bowl LI champions finally have their hands on the “one for the thumb.”

Created by custom jewelry designer Josten’s, the ring prominently highlights the Patriots logo, made from corundum sapphire and ruby, against five Vince Lombardi trophies. Each trophy features a marquise-cut diamond that is pavé-set with round gemstones.

According to the press release, each ring has a carat weight of 5.1 with over 280 total diamonds, giving it the highest stone count — and making it the heaviest — in Super Bowl history.

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“WORLD CHAMPIONS” sandwiches the centerpiece, while the left side of the ring lists the player’s last name and jersey number. The left side also displays Gillette Stadium’s iconic lighthouse and bridge, as well as the years of past championships: 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2014.

On the right side of the ring, the Patriots’ trademarked phrase, “UNEQUIVOCALLY THE SWEETEST,” frames the Super Bowl LI logo. Following the team’s historic comeback, Kraft said to the crowd:

Two years ago, we won our fourth Super Bowl down in Arizona, and I told our fans that was the sweetest one of all. But a lot has transpired over the last two years, and I don’t think that needs any explanation, but I want to say to our fans, our brilliant coaching staff, our amazing players who are so spectacular, this is unequivocally the sweetest.

The game’s final score, 34-28, is listed in the upper corners on the right side, and the team’s overall season record, 17-2, lines the bottom.

“WE ARE ALL PATRIOTS,” another quote from Kraft, is engraved on the inner face of the ring. Below it are Kraft’s signature and February 3, 2002 — the date when he first said that line after the organization’s first Super Bowl win. The inner right arbor of the ring reads, “GREATEST COMEBACK EVER.”

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At the ceremony, the rings were stationed at each player’s seat in locked boxes, with a note from Kraft that read, “You can look … But please do not touch until asked to do so.”

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After his commemorative speech documenting the team’s postseason history, the owner revealed the correct combination to unlock the box that was protecting the ring.

As Kraft told the team, the code, 831, reflects the time on the clock at two significant periods in the game: when the Patriots took possession in the third quarter after the Falcons took a 28-3 lead and when linebacker Dont’a Hightower strip-sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the four quarter to give the Patriots another possession.

He also associates meaning to each of the digits. Eight represents the number of consecutive months the team spent together. Three represents the phrases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. As for one?

“The last digit to unlock the box best represents how we will always remember this team and how you finished the season number one,” he said.

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