The tradition of the Class ring is one of the oldest and most enduring and respected traditions of Virginia Tech. It is a time-honored tradition that not only embraces the past, but also energizes the present. Virginia Tech is one of only a handful of institutions that re-designs an entire collection of class rings, in addition to the traditional Class ring, the centerpiece of the Virginia Tech Ring Tradition.

The very first Virginia Tech ring, for Class of 1911, was an afterthought. Class member Fred Prosser first introduced the idea of a unique Corps of Cadets Class ring at a Class meeting in their senior year. Other than at West Point and Annapolis, class rings were almost unknown at American colleges at that time and considered to be peculiarly military in character. Class pins were also discussed but a consensus could not be reached. So the Class of 1911 was graduated without Class jewelry of any kind. This bothered Prosser so much that while he was a graduate student at Tech, he contacted his classmates and appealed to them again about a ring. After convincing his classmates, Prosser contracted a jeweler to create the rings from his drafted design which featured a screaming eagle, cannon barrel, Victorian shield, crossed sabre and rifle, and oak leaves. The stone was flat and flush on the bezel top. Prosser himself arranged for the sale and shipment of the rings, which cost $6 - $8 a piece, depending on the stone (most were amethyst), to his former classmates. The idea of a Tech Class ring was born!

The Class of 1914 formalized the process by selecting a Ring Design Committee to design and award the contract for their Class ring. Since then, the Committee strives to create and name a set of rings that their classmates will wear with pride. The first miniature Class ring specifically for women appeared in the early 1920s. These rings, given by Cadets to their dates, were considered a treasured symbol of a committed relationship. It was sometimes used as an engagement ring. The increased enrollment of women following World War II caused the evolution of the miniature ring into the women’s traditional ring.

Over the decades, ring production techniques and designs have changed. Earlier rings were created in several pieces and the ‘hollow’ behind the stone was common. Rings now are made in one piece using the 'lost wax' method. Computer Aided Design (CAD) has become the standard in transferring the intricate designs to the ring side molds. But stones are still set by hand and the ring goes through numerous manufacturing processes and inspections. It remains still a custom-crafted piece of jewelry for each Virginia Tech student.

The Virginia Tech Ring Display Case is located in the Williamsburg Room of Squires Student Center. The present display case was a combined gift from the Classes of 1978, 1981 and 1991, along with individual donors. Dedicated in 1997, the case replaced a previous case when Squires was renovated in 1991. It houses Virginia Tech rings from 1914 to the present.