Marking their second Stanley Cup title in three years, the Los Angeles Kings clearly took their championship rings to the next level with a larger-than-life design featuring 136 round diamonds, 32 more than in 2012. Pavé-set black spinel replaces black enamel in the representation of the Kings' shield logo.
The shield-shaped 2014 Stanley Cup rings are larger and much flashier than the 2012 version, measuring a gaudy 32mm wide. The shield is broader than a single finger and actually overlaps the middle finger and pinky.
Whereas the 2012 design featured a diamond-outlined Stanley Cup and small Kings’ logo in the middle set against a ground of black enamel, the 2014 rings feature a much larger, more dazzling diamond-encrusted LA Kings’ logo against a ground of pavé-set black spinel. The shield-shaped logo is rimmed with two rows of accent diamonds and one row of black spinel.
The new bling was presented to the team and its management during a private dinner ceremony in Los Angeles last week.
Before the team had officially revealed the number of diamonds in the new design, a writer for Yahoo Sports joked, “No word on how many diamonds this second L.A. Kings championship ring has, although initial estimates are somewhere around ‘all of them.’”
The 2014 ring also features new imagery of the Stanley Cup being hoisted overhead and decorative filigree artwork.
The face of the ring is shaped like the L.A. Kings' shield. On the bezels above and below the shield in black enamel is the phrase, “STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS."
On the left shank of the ring is the player’s last name, LA KINGS, jersey number and the beaming lights of the Staple Center, where the team plays its home games.
The opposite shank shows the year 2014, a rendering of the Stanley Cup and the team’s 16-10 record in the playoffs.
The inside of the ring is engraved with a list of the series records for the Kings’ memorable run to the Stanley Cup, including 4-3 wins over San Jose, Anaheim, Chicago and a 3-1 series win over New York in the finals.
Players also got their choice of a custom inscription on the thin part of the band that's closest to the palm and normally out of view. Some players had their Facebook hashtags immortalized on the rings.
The team got to raise their 2013-2014 championship banner to the rafters of the Staples Center during an emotional presentation before their home opener last week.
Both the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup rings were designed and created by Tiffany & Co. The retailer offers a sterling silver commemorative version to the public.
Photos: LA Kings, NBCSN (screen capture), Twitter.
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