MIT class ring

On earlier versions, the Great Dome and Building 10 facade were featured on each shank, with "MIT" under it on one side and the class year on the other.

[6] Ring Delivery ceremonies have been held on a harbor cruise,[7] at prestigious restaurants,[8] and at the Boston Public Library.

The 2008 Brass Rat was the first in recent years to revert to the original style of the ring, placing the seal and Dome above the "MIT" and "08" respectively.

Investigation showed that, on January 17, 1914, President Maclaurin formally accepted the Beaver as the mascot of the Institute at the annual dinner of the Technology Club of N.Y. Lester Gardner (SB, 1898) explained the decision: We first thought of the kangaroo which like Tech, goes forward in leaps and bounds ... Then we considered the elephant.

He is wise, patient, strong, hard working and like all [students] who graduate from Tech, has a good tough hide.

We turned to William Temple Hornaday's textbook, The American Natural History: A Foundation of Useful Knowledge of the Higher Animals of North America (1906) and instantly chose the beaver.

[5] This tradition has developed throughout the years producing one of the most cherished symbols of an MIT education that is recognized worldwide.

With the spread of economical computer numerical control and then 3D printing (both are technologies which were pioneered by MIT people) throughout the jewelry industry, the cost of producing custom designs each year has dropped dramatically.

The Graduate Student ring, or "Grad Rat", is redesigned every five years when the production contract expires.

[18] The "third" new Grad Rat design was unveiled in Fall 2013 with some controversial elements, such as the inclusion of the commercial Dropbox logo and removal of any reference to the unofficial IHTFP motto.