http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/rings

These were written up by Cathy Harasta is a freelance writer based in Dallas.

Bling Basics: 20 Questions
officials contribute design ideas for the rings, which take
about a month to manufacture.

The NFL pays for a maximum of 150 rings at $5,000 per
ring toward the cost and, if necessary, allows for any
adjustments in gold or diamond prices. The rings can
end up being worth much more as the ring companies
absorb the costs of customizing them with
embellishments. Recent rings reportedly were appraised
for more than $20,000, though Stoebe said the ring
makers and teams keep costs confidential.

I: For whom was the largest ring, in terms of ring size,
manufactured?
A: The Bears' William "The Refrigerator" Perry wins with
a size 25 for his Super Bowl XX ring.

II: What does a size 25 look like?
A: A half-dollar can pass through that ring size, which
has a diameter of 1.258 inches. Most of the rings are in
the size 11 range.

II: Who chooses the ring recipients?
A:The team owner selects the ring recipients and
decides when to present the rings. In addition to the
53-member player roster, coaches and other club
personnel make the cut.

IV: Which is the heavyweight champion of Super Bowl
rings?
A: The Patriots' ring from Super Bowl XXXIX reigns at
4.06 ounces and has 124 diamonds.

V: Does the Super Bowl loser get a ring?
A:The losing team receives jewelry courtesy of the
NFL, which pays for 150 pieces of jewelry that can't
exceed the cost of one-half the price set for the winner's
ring.

VI: How does Ruston, La., figure in the Super Bowl ring
picture?
A: Louisiana Tech's Charles Wyly Athletic Center is the
proud home of the four Super Bowl rings won by former
Steelers great Terry Bradshaw, who donated the rings to
his alma mater in 2006.

VII: How long were Jerry Kramer and his ring from
Super Bowl I separated?
A: For 25 years, former Packers guard Jerry Kramer,
with Green Bay from 1958 to '68, wondered what
happened to the ring he removed in an airplane
lavatory during a 1981 flight. In the spring of 2006, the
ring turned up for sale on an auction Web site, was
bought by the site owner and returned to Kramer. He
received it during a ceremony at Lambeau Field.

VIII: Are we talking strictly diamonds for the rings?
A:No. For example, the Pittsburgh ring from Super
Bowl XL has a yellow sapphire, a ruby and a blue
sapphire in addition to 69 diamonds.

IX: Can a Super Bowl ring do double duty?
A:Absolutely. Cowboys great Bob Lilly's Super Bowl VI
ring is his wedding ring. His wife, Ann, recalled the loss
of the ring during a hayride in 1975. "We were coming
back on the same trail when a lady in the wagon said, 'I
just saw something flash!' " Ann Lilly said. So it wasn't
exactly like finding a needle in a haystack. When Ann
and Bob Lilly married in 1973, he had 10 diamonds
from the ring awarded to Dallas after the loss to the
Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V set in Ann's wedding
band.

X: Which ring really, truly rocks?
A:The Patriots' ring for the Super Bowl XXXIX victory is
football-shaped and, when set on edge, rocks back and
forth to signify team symmetry and balance.


XI: What stops teams from discussing Super Bowl ring
designs before the big game?
A:Superstition.

XII: Has Jostens ever made a ring for the home team?
A: Despite its many designs, Jostens, based in
Minneapolis and the maker of the majority of Super
Bowl rings, never has had the pleasure of producing a
Super Bowl ring for its home team, the Vikings.

XIII: What happens when someone gives his Super
Bowl ring to a Russian dignitary?
A:Stoebe said that Jostens made a replacement ring
for the one from Super Bowl XXXIX that New England
Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave to Russian president
Vladimir Putin. Kraft intended to show the ring to Putin,
not give it to him. The ring now sits in the Kremlin
library.

XIV: Though the Packers' ring from Super Bowl I (Jan.
15, 1967) appears modest by recent standards, what
made it special?
A:Vince Lombardi had a hand in the design.

XV: Has any player pulled off the double of winning a
Super Bowl and an Olympic gold medal?
A:The late Bob Hayes, a Dallas Cowboys receiver,
became the only athlete to win an Olympic gold medal
and a Super Bowl ring when the Cowboys won the Super
Bowl after the 1971 season. Hayes captured the 100-
meter gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where
he also won a gold medal as a member of the 400-
meter relay squad.

XVI: Who is the individual ring leader?
A: Veteran strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik
needs two hands to wear his six Super Bowl rings, three
with the Cowboys and three with the Patriots.

XVII: Does the NFL mandate any aspects of the rings?
A:Yes, though the league isn't all that heavy-handed.
Its ring specifications have some wiggle room. One side
of the ring, however, must include the Super Bowl logo.

XVIII: What kinds of details are on the rings?
A:In some cases, everything but the kitchen sink.
Among the ring features are dates, scores, winning
streaks and players' names and numbers.

XIX: Are there rules for replicas?
A: The ring company can't produce and sell replicas,
though it can make another ring for, say, season-ticket
holders.

XX: Jostens has made the most Super Bowl rings (27 of
the 42 rings), but who's No. 2?
A: Balfour is second with nine.