REAL or FAKE
As in any business transaction it is important that the Buyer and Seller are dealing with the same set of facts. As such, there are some definitions and terminology everyone needs to be aware of.
When a team awards a contract to make rings for their players, they award it to one single manufacturer. We call this the “Original Manufacturer” or OM.
Authentic or Real Rings.
We consider any ring made by the original manufacturer to be “authentic”. ChampRings.net only accepts authentic rings made by the original manufacturer.
Here is an example of an authentic ring made by the original manufacturer of this contract.
Fake or Replica Rings.
We consider “fake” any ring NOT made by the original manufacturer. They are typically low-quality (low cost) copies. These are usually easy to identify if you know what to look for. These rings are actually illegal and ChampRings.net does NOT in any way sell or promote these rings.
Here is an example of replica or fake ring made in China of the same ring as above.
Our team of experts can easily identify these fake rings.
NOT ALL AUTHENTIC RINGS ARE THE SAME
Please note that there are different types of authentic rings. Not all rings are exactly the same and most importantly do not all have the same value.
All authentic rings are grouped into different categories.
Player Rings (original batch):
These are the rings the players received where all the rings were made in the first original batch. These are the most valuable of all rings.
Non-Player Rings (original batch):
These are rings given to individuals who were not actual players on the team. Early on, these were team owners and senior executives. However, as these rings got more popular, teams started giving rings to other members of the staff as well.
In some cases, these non-player rings were exactly the same as the player rings. In many cases there were minor differences. Here is an example of a team ring where the players got their jersey numbers on the side and the rest of the staff got a football image.
Many non-player rings were made in many different designs and features as well. For example:
- They were made in a lower gold karat
- They were made with cubic zircon stones instead of diamonds
- They were made in a different model, smaller and lighter
In some cases, the non-player rings looked significantly different than the player rings. In some case, they look very similar.
Player Rings (duplicates):
Some players asked to have duplicate rings made for themselves of their rings. These were to replace lost rings or more typically given to other family members. In some cases, these rings look exactly like the rings made in the original batch. But in many cases, there are minor differences between the rings as they were not made at the exact same time. Only very knowledgeable experts can identify the differences.
Player Rings (modified):
Some players asked to have duplicate rings made for themselves, but they had these modified in some way. This was typically to reduce the costs of the ring as the player paid for these rings themselves. Only very knowledgeable experts can identify the differences.
Here four examples of player rings made in the original batch for this team.
For the same team, here is an example of a modified ring order by the player at a later date.
Notice how the diamond on top is smaller here. We assume, the player wanted to lower the cost of the ring. Also notice the name of the player on the shank side. The fonts used does not match the fonts used on the original batch.
Of course, the modified ring would not have the same value as the original ring. If you are interested in getting any professional championship ring, it is important to know the differences of rings that are available. Our experts can help you with this.
Sales Samples:
Once a manufacturer got the award to make rings for a team, they would typically make some sales samples for their sales people to show off to their customers. These rings would look almost exactly the same as what the players got. Some of these rings ended up being sold on the open market. Only very knowledgeable experts can identify these rings as samples.
Pre-Sale Prototypes:
While bidding for the contract to make the rings, some companies developed different prototypes before settling on a final design. In many cases these rings look very close to the final design. Some of these rings ended up being sold on the open market. Only very knowledgeable experts can identify these rings as prototypes.
For example.
Here is an image of the final design for this ring.
Here are two protypes that were considered before the design was finalized.
The differences between the left image the final image are obvious. The differences between the image on the right and the final design are a bit more subtle. Can you spot the differences?
As you can see it would be easy for somebody with limited knowledge to be fooled by these rings. The team at ChampRings.net are the only people who have access to such information.
Unfortunately, some of these prototype rings have worked themselves into the marketplace and people are buying these rings thinking they are the authentic, original rings. They obviously are not if you know what to look for.
The best way to prevent being sold a product under false pretenses is to educate yourself. That is one of the main reasons this website has been set up. Contact us about any questions or concerns you may have about a potential purchase and we can help you.
