Stumped trying to trace class ring-- any ideas?

[lab rat]

The class ring I found is from West High School. Through the internet I have been able to produce a list of no less than 110 schools all over the country called 'West High School'. Using the school team name, I have been able to narrow the list to about 15. There is a school local to my neighborhood that has a similar motif, but going through the class list web page there is nobody with initials that match the ring. I've called the school, and they can't help. The ring manufacturer only keeps records for 4 years, and the ring is 30+ years old.

Should I go to the school and see if they have a yearbook in archives? How would you diehard class ring tracers proceed?

 

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[boomer]

Ring

try the library, a lot of them have sets of year books. if its not local than maybe any inter-library loan. also this may help, with some schools kids can get there school rings at the end of the 10th grade, there is a chance that this may have happened and the student moved before the senior year. you may need to check to see if there was a separate year book for 9th and 10th grades. good luck

 

[lab rat]

I listed it on that site. No match so far. The school (if its even the right one) isn't much help. Spent something like 5 hours and two phone calls on the trace so far... doesn't seem practical to continue. I am not prepared to chase everyone down who graduated from the same year in 15 different schools-- that's a little extreme!

 

[Chiz]

just a shot... but did you try classmates.com or something like that? Even a bigger thanks for trying so hard to find the owner...

8)

 

[lab rat]

Actually classmates.com was the first thing I tried. There is a 5-page series of steps that narrow down the school location and graduation year. The last step requires you to enter your own information before you can access the alumni list, but it assumes you are an alumni of that school and I think it will add you to their list. I contacted the webmaster for that page and they gave me some instructions but couldn't tell me how to keep from getting attached to the school, so it was a dead end.

 

[Rich in Houston]

Me and a bud did return one using Classmates.com

 

[flash]

Just found this site.
Has 100's of rings ,lost or stolen,all across the U.S.Some offering rewards.Locations,descriptions and e-mails.There is also a place on that site where you post found rings,looking for owners.

Doubt it will help but its pretty cool site anyhow.Check it out.
http://www.reunionsworld.com/LostandFound/Lost Rings 1970-1974.htm

 

[Lowbatts]

Hey Labrat let us know how it goes and if you ever get that ring back to the original owner.

 

[CWnut]

class ring

Here's another link you can try...good luck

http://www.reunionsworld.com/LostandFound/lostandfounddirectory.htm

 

[lab rat]

Thanks, guys-- the link from Charles Hutson takes me to the same website as the link from Flash. Its a great site.

I did some more web searching and found the web page for the local 'West High School', complete with an alumni list and email addresses! I found two persons whose initials appear to match the ring, and sent a message to both, asking them to describe the ring. One of them came back 'undeliverable', and I have not yet had a response from the other one. Nothing left to do but 'wait and see'.

 

[Ocean7]

this can be a very frustrating search. Found a ring from Philly HS that even has a website listing lost/found rings. The Alumni list a phone#.
After numerous e-mails with pic and initials in ring and phone calls - they refuse to list ring on their site or even answer. I've spent about $35 trying to find this person until I just gave up. Like many people I suppose - only a given percent keep in contact with Alumni. Sometimes you just have a cold trail. Hey at least you try...

 

[lab rat]

I wouldn't spend $35 (after some other bad experiences I've had and/or heard about) trying to get items back to their original owners. Waste of money. Otherwise I'd hire a private eye to do it-- you can get one on the web for probably $35 or less. They might make it easier, but there is no guarantee you'll get the money back. So you've got to be a philanthropist and really believe that the act of returning it is worth more than the expense. Maybe if I was independently wealthy...

At this point it looks like this ring is going in my collection. I don't mind. Even if I'm not familiar with the school, it is kinda purdy.

 

[Rich in Houston]

I posted the basic info of a ring my buddie found on Classmates.com for the school I thought where it was from. About 3 months later we return the women her ring she lost in 1977.