Everything in sports has evolved to become bigger and more ostentatious over time. The championship ring may be the best example of that growth.
The 2022-23 Kansas City Chiefs received their championship rings in a closed ceremony Thursday, as they continue to celebrate the third Super Bowl in franchise history. The ceremony was held at Union Station, the same location of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The rings are suitably ostentatious, containing 613 diamonds and 35 rubies, totaling a gaudy 16.1 carats.
The ring is utterly packed with symbolism, another feature that has continued to grow and evolve for championship teams. There's a reason for every different cluster of diamonds and rubies, and each number has its own degree of significance.
It's the first time the Chiefs have gone through this process in earnest. Despite getting rings and hanging banners in 2020, the process was affected by COVID-19. Here's what to know about the Chiefs' 2023 jewelry.
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Chiefs Super Bowl ring design 2023
There's a lot to unpack with the Chiefs' 2023 ring designs. They touch on team championships, point deficits, players to score touchdowns, and a removable compartment.
Here are some of the notable design aspects:
Team logo, comprised of 16 rubies and 50 diamonds
One of the obvious additions is the Chiefs logo, which is set as a red backdrop made of 16 rubies. The 16 rubies are to represent the Chiefs' 16 division championships, seven of which have come in the last seven years.
There are also 50 diamonds inset into the logo, one for each year of Arrowhead Stadium.
16 diamonds on the base
There are 16 diamonds on the base of the ring, which are meant to represent the 16 players who scored a touchdown in 2022-23.
Those players are:
- Patrick Mahomes
- Travis Kelce
- Isiah Pacheco
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Jerick McKinnon
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- Mecole Hardman Jr.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Justin Watson
- Kadarius Toney
- Jody Fortson
- Noah Gray
- Blake Bell
- Ronald Jones
- Willie Gay
- Jaylen Watson
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Background made of rubies and diamonds
The ring's red background also has significance in its numbers. It has 19 rubies and 38 diamonds. The 38 is meant to reflect the Chiefs' points in Super Bowl 57, and 19+38=57, hence, Super Bowl 57. The final score of Super Bowl 57 was 38-35 over the Eagles.
Lombardi Trophies
There are a few Lombardi Trophy images in the ring. The first three are visible on the outside of the ring, one for each Super Bowl in franchise history.
However, underneath the top of the ring are more Lombardi Trophies laid into the middle of an overhead of Arrowhead Stadium, one for each individual championship (a la the Warriors' rings last year).
54 diamonds
The Chiefs also have 54 diamonds at the top of the rings, one for every individual deficit point the Chiefs overcame in their last two Super Bowl runs.
Removable pendant
One of the cooler features if the top of the ring can be taken off as worn as a pendant.
Underneath the top of the ring is an inscription of the Chiefs with a 50 logo and engravings of the Super Bowls the player with the rings has won. Mahomes, for example, has 2019 and 2022 under his ring.
Within the inside of the ring, meanwhile, is the player's signature and the scores during the Chiefs' most recent playoff run.
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Chiefs Super Bowl ring cost
Although players don't pay for the full price of the ring, they still come with a gaudy price tag.
Even (especially) gifts are taxed. When the Chiefs got their rings in 2020, for example, Action Network's Darren Rovell noted the Chiefs paid $11,000 per ring, which came out of their paychecks.
There isn't much information on what the rings actually cost. But with that many diamonds and rubies, suffice it to say "a lot."
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How much is a Super Bowl ring worth?
Authentic Super Bowl rings don't hit the market often, but they're pricey when they do.
The Chiefs sold replica rings in 2020 for $12,500, if fans wanted a nice display item and had some serious cash lying around.
The Rams similarly have a $14,995 edition from their 2022 title on the NFL Shop.
For authentic rings, however, the price tag changes. Not only are they highly tailored to the player they're being presented to, there's also historical weight. On Heritage Auction now Friday, there are eight Super Bowl rings up for sale. The Giants and Seahawks rings are both going for $40,000-plus. That's a good starting point for reference.
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Chiefs Super Bowl wins
The Chiefs now have three Super Bowl wins: Super Bowl 4 in 1969, Super Bowl 54 in 2019, and Super Bowl 57 in 2022.
The Chiefs' 2020 ring was similarly detailed in its design.
While they're both ostentatious, it's fair to say this edition is especially loud. Super Bowl 4, meanwhile, was much simpler.
Rings have gotten far more complicated overtime, so it's to be expected. The 2023 iteration obviously has so much packed into its design, no fan is going to get them all. But each detail undoubtedly holds significance to the players. Which is the overall point.