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.”
Which company manufactures the Brass Rat?
The Ring Committee has been working together with Herff Jones for many years to manufacture the Brass Rat.
The rings get produced locally at Herff Jones' site in Rhode Island.
How many people usually buy the Brass Rat? How many people get the gold one?
Usually, around 92-98% of the class buys a Brass Rat.
Approximately 70-75% of the class buys a gold ring.
What is a companion ring?
If you buy a gold ring, you have the option to buy an Ultrium ring for $75 (as supposed to $150).
You may instead buy an Ultrium PVD ring for $205 (as supposed to $280).
The idea behind the companion ring is that the Ultrium ring is worn as an "everyday" ring while the gold one is worn for special occasions.
Who can I contact for more information?
If you would like more information, you can email us at
brassrat-2025@mit.edu,
or contact our Herff Jones representative, Jeff Quirk, at
jpquirk@herffjones.com.
