Our Brass Rat encapsulates the special moments, events, and stories that connect the entire class of 2024. To learn more about what each side of the ring means, why we chose to include each element, what your purchasing options are, and all other ring-related details (including cool ring accessories like necklaces and cuff links!), click on the 'View Ring' button below!
When you are ready to make your purchase and feel one step closer to the rest of your class and graduation, click on the 'Order Ring' button below to be redirected to the official HJ ordering site!
What:
Join us for this momentous occasion as we celebrate reaching te half way point of our time at MIT. We absolutely can't wait for us to all don our rings as a class and look forward to spending a wonderful evening with you all in this magnificent venue that has previously hosted receptions for heads of state and royalty going back a hundred years. Come in your best black-tie outfit and ready to receive your very own Brass Rat at one of the most hallmark moments of our MIT college career.
When:
Sunday April 24th, 7:00-10:00 pm
Where:
Fairmont Copley Hotel Grand Ballroom
MIT's class ring is formally called the Standard Technology Ring, but it is better known as the Brass Rat. The tradition of our class ring first started in 1929, when the senior class president, C. Brigham Allen, assembled a committee tasked with designing the ring. The first debate centered around which symbol of the institute to honor on the main face of the ring - the Great Dome or a beaver. Eventually the beaver was chosen, at the same time as it was declared our official mascot, for 'his engineering, mechanical skills, and industry' along with 'his habits [that] are peculiarly our own, [as] he does his best work in the dark.' The ring originally had three main faces; the bezel, featuring the beaver, the class shank, depicting the Great Dome and the class year, and what later became the seal shank, proudly displaying 'MIT'.
For many years the ring remained largely unchanged, varying only due to the different companies producing it. However, in the 1990 Brass Rat, the skylines were added to either side of the bezel, Cambridge on one side and Boston on the other. This changed the construction of the ring, which now had 5 elements which started changing more and more every year. The class of 2009 committee then added a hackers map, a guide to MITs tunnels hidden on the inside of the ring and the final element present in today's ring.
In recent years, due to the improvements in jewelry manufacturing technology (with notable contributions from MIT alums), the rings have contained more details than ever, encapsulating the many different elements of the MIT experience into a single ring. Although the design of the ring changes year to year, the basic elements remain the same, tying the different classes together. Even more than that symbolic connection, the Brass Rat gives us a physical connection with past years, in the form of the Ring Melt. Each year we receive donated rings from previous alumni which are then melted down, and that gold is mixed with the gold used to create our own Brass Rats. Through this tradition, all the classes of MIT are connected, and our Brass Rats are proof of our ability to thrive at MIT and beyond.
Ian Gatlin | Chair
Ring: Ultrium Prism PVD
Bezel Size: L
Add-Ons: Sculpted Palm
Claire Lu | Vice Chair
Ring: 18k Yellow Gold
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: None
Frankie Schulte | Social Chair
Ring: 10k Rose Gold
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: Antique, Sculpted Palm
Emma Higgason | Study Break Chair & Treasurer
Ring: 18k White Gold
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: Antique
Bella Struckman | Delivery Chair
Ring: 18k Yellow Gold
Bezel Size: S
Add-Ons: Light Antique, Sculpted Palm
Ben Rich | Premier Chair
Ring: 14k Yellow Gold
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: Antique, Sculpted Palm
Dana Hua | Web Chair
Ring: 14k Yellow Gold
Bezel Size: L
Add-Ons: Light Antique
Sarah Zhao | Social Vice Chair & Artist
Ring: 10k Yellow Gold
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: Sculpted Palm
Yiming Chen | Premier Vice Chair & Artist
Ring: 14k White Gold
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: None
Juliana Covarrubias | Artist
Ring: Ultrium
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: Antique
Eliza Bazakas | Artist
Ring: 14k Rose Gold
Bezel Size: L
Add-Ons: None
Alexander Greer | Artist
Ring: Ultrium Stealth PVD
Bezel Size: M
Add-Ons: None
RingComm is a committee of 12 students who design their respective class' MIT Brass Rat and organize the ring-related events, such as Ring Premiere and Ring Delivery.
The class of 2024 Brass Rat will be manufactured by Herff Jones at their site in Rhode Island.
Historically, around 80% of students in a given class have bought a Gold Ring.
Come to our events or send in suggestions on what you would/wouldn't like to see on the ring here!
Our next event will be Ring Premiere on Friday, February 11th from 7-9 pm in Kresge Auditorium! Come be one of the first people to see the 2024 Brass Rat design and get a ring pop in the process!
Feel free to shoot us an email at brassrat-2024@mit.edu or contact anyone on RingComm by any means necessary including but not limited to facebook, instagram, text, carrier pigeon, and pony express!