A diamond jubilee as Patriots get their rings

BROOKLINE -- In the middle of an hour-long procession of luxury cars, sport utility vehicles, and limousines pulling up to a red carpet in front of an opulent house, Adam Vinatieri pretty much said it all.

"This," the Patriots kicker said last night, "is all right."

It was that kind of night for the Patriots, who received their 2003 Super Bowl rings at owner Robert Kraft's house during a celebratory dinner. As the players pulled up, Kraft greeted each one with a hug in the entryway to his palatial home. Coach Bill Belichick was one of the last to arrive.

"So many days out of the year, we're one game at a time, one day at a time," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "But this is one night when we can embelish."

"This is why we play," linebacker Ted Johnson said. "The ring is a huge symbol of what we were able to accomplish. This event gives some closure to last season."

It also gives their fingers some serious weight to carry. Each ring -- which Bruschi estimated at more than $20,000 -- weighs 3.8 ounces and 5.05 carats. It is 33 percent larger than the team's ring from the 2001 season, has 104 diamonds, and is the heaviest Super Bowl ring ever.

There are 15 full-cut gems that run across the crest of the ring, symbolizing New England's 15-game winning streak. Along the bottom are 12 diamonds, representing the 12-0 home record (including exhibition games). Ted Washington, who came back from Oakland, Calif., to pick up his jewelry, had the biggest ring at size 17.5.

"The real standard was, the ring in 2001, when they put it on the bar you could see it for three stools," Kraft said. "This is a six-stool ring."

"It's the best Super Bowl ring ever," Bruschi said. "The best ring in the history of the NFL went to one of the best teams in the history of the NFL."

Like the 2001 edition, the rings were cast in 14-carat white gold, which is becoming a tradition for New England -- the Patriots are the only team to use white gold on Super Bowl rings.

The Patriots are getting used to these ring ceremonies. They have created a mini-dynasty in the past three years, winning two Super Bowls and posting a 17-2 record last season.

"I'm still surprised at what we've accomplished," said running back Kevin Faulk, who rolled up to Kraft's cobblestone driveway in a stretch limo.

But he won't forget, thanks to the images of a pair of Lombardi Trophies on the centerpiece of the ring. On the crest is an aerial view of Gillette Stadium with "WORLD" across the top and "CHAMPIONS" on the bottom.

"We get these tonight, and it symbolizes what we did last year," Vinatieri said. "This is the last time we get to celebrate. Some players play their entire careers and don't get even a sniff of a ring like this."

As excited as players were to receive their rings -- some showed at 5:40 for the 6 p.m. dinner -- some said they weren't satisfied.

And filling them up is a matter that won't wait until fall, not with minicamp starting last week. After the luxury of last night -- with Tom Brady pulling up in a limo and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel pulling up in a limousine-bus hybrid -- the players and staff won't have much time to forget what earned them the rings.

"Tomorrow it's back to work," Faulk said, "to try and win another one."