Super Bowl Rings in the Big Cash with Plenty of Splash

It's the biggest sporting event in the world. It brings in the most advertising income per second for the TV channel broadcasting it of any sports occasion anywhere on the globe. And for the jewelry firm selected to make the rings for the winning players, the prestige and enormous coverage the Super Bowl winners receive even makes it worth losing money on the deal.

Indeed, companies are already lining up for the contract to design and make the rings for the winners of the February 6 Super Bowl due to the exposure the rings give the firm and the extra income from spin-offs, such as baubles, it can sell to the fans of the winning team.

And despite the National Football League (NFL) laying down limits on the size and weight of the rings in the Game Operations Manual, the rings usually exceed the rules. The companies making them are reportedly willing to manufacture them at a loss, paying the difference between cost and what they receive from the NFL just for the media coverage the rings bring and the other financial benefits.

According to the rules, the rings must be made of 10 karat plumb gold and weigh no more than 30 pennyweight (46.7 grams or 1.65 ounces). If diamonds are used, then they must be no better than SI quality and weigh no more than 1.5 carats for a team's first win within a 10-year period. Subsequent wins in that period qualify it for diamonds of an 20 additional points.

The NFL will buy 150 rings, paying a base price of $5,000 per ring, plus adjustments for increases in gold and diamond prices as well as tax. A total of just $750,000.

But rules are only rules. The New England Patriots who won the 2001 Super Bowl received rings made of 14 karat white gold.

After winning again in 2003, the team received rings each weighing almost a quarter of a pound (3.8 ounces). Then again, footballers' fingers are larger than the average man's digits so a lot of precious metal is needed to make them big enough.

The 2003 ring also featured 104 diamonds weighing more than 5 carats. That's 15 diamonds in the top for the Patriots' 15 straight victories during the season and 12 at the bottom for its undefeated home record.

Meanwhile, the fact that just 6,000 Super Bowl winners' rings have been made gives them a rarity value with rings belonging to former winners being sold for scores of thousands of dollars.