Originally published May 4, 2011 at 7:00 PM | Page modified May 4, 2011 at 7:43 PM

Storm gets championship rings with bling

Storm unveiled WNBA championship rings Wednesday with 1.3-carat diamonds. Total price: $5,000.

By Jayda Evans

Seattle Times staff reporter

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COURTESY OF SEATTLE STORM

The Storm 2010 championship rings are made with white gold and are paved with diamonds.

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Congrats, Storm. Well-earned. (May 4, 2011, by huskyfan_33) Read more

Congrats Ladies!!! An amazing ring to celebrate an amazing season! (May 5, 2011, by kelhan24) Read more

those are some nice rings the girls deserve the best. they earned it all. cant wait to... (May 4, 2011, by capt jack harkness) Read more

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When asked what they wanted in a championship ring last fall, Storm players almost unanimously responded with the same word: Bling.

Exactly that was unveiled Wednesday in a 1.3-carat diamond ring set in luminous white gold. Titled "The Arena" to symbolize the bond between the team and its fans, each flashy piece designed by Blue Nile is valued at more than $5,000.

"It's gorgeous," Storm All-Star Sue Bird said. "It's everything we talked about as players."

Apparently diamonds are a champion's best friend, too. Bird and teammates did away with the emeralds and rubies, which were part of the design for the team's first WNBA title in 2004. Bird helped design that ring, along with teammate Lauren Jackson.

This time, Storm president and CEO Karen Bryant led the design committee, researching more than 200 championship looks. "The Arena" has a sunken face to represent the KeyArena lower bowl. The team's logo "S" is in the middle, adorned with three diamonds, flanked by two more and surrounded by even more and "Seattle Storm 2010 Champions." On one side is the recipient's name above the WNBA logo. On the other is the WNBA trophy with Seattle's record-setting "28-6" season inscribed below.

Bryant wouldn't reveal any meaning behind the diamonds embedded in the ring, just joking it probably couldn't hold any more.

"We wanted something really special, and we needed professionals to really help capture that," Jackson said. "What's there is better than what we could ever design."

One fan will receive a replica ring sans precious stones while two others will be able to watch the ring ceremony June 4 from the "diamond seats" sponsored by Blue Nile. Visit the Storm's website for more information.

Note

• The Storm is preparing to announce its 2011 television deal with KONG-TV. Including games aired on the ESPN networks, there will be at least 14 matchups aired this summer — a franchise high. Seattle's debut is June 4 at noon on ABC.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com

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