Since the United States military is now deployed around the world, many military members are spending more and more time overseas. Some of these deployments are for specific military campaigns, such as Operation Iraqi Freedom. Other deployments are temporary duty stations, often known as short-tours. This type of deployment usually lasts a year, but there are many soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors who are spending up to 18 months in another country.

One of the best ways to recognize the sacrifice and service of our military members is with deployment rings. Crafted by the best jewelers in the business, these rings are a visual testament to a service man or woman’s service. It’s easy to design one that will be as unique as the individual, including personalizing the inside of the band with a personal message, date, or initials.

There are several options for deployment rings. For examples, you will need to choose between gold, silver, and Valedium. All of these precious metals are beautiful and if you’re not sure which one to orde,r you might think about how often and when the ring will be worn. If worn will a military dress uniform, you might feel that one metal looks better than another. For example, the Marine dress uniform would look fantastic with a gold ring, as would the Army’s. The Air Force dress uniform might look better with the silver. Valedium is silver toned, but is recommended for those who want to wear their ring everyday. It’s a little bit stronger than silver is and won’t scratch as easily.

There are three main styles to choose form. One closely resembles a high school or college class ring, with the semi-precious stone set on the top. The sides are engraved with your choice of insignias and emblems. The signet style ring usually contains a crest from the military branch on the top, instead of the stone. The sides are left bare, making this quite an elegant choice for a man or a woman. The final style is a combination of both the previous styles, with a crest on the top and engravings on the side.

There are hundreds of symbols and emblems to choose from, too. These include the insignia of different specialized units, aircraft or ship emblems, slogans, and dates, just to name a few. This is probably the most difficult part of design the ring simply because there are so many choice available.

Ordering is very easy and you can have the ring designed and ordered online in just a few minutes. It usually takes about two to three weeks to get deployments rings. You might consider having it shipped to wherever your loved one is stationed. Imagine their surprise when they open that gift!

In closing, deployment rings are a great way to say "I miss you" for those that are away. They fulfill a huge role in today’s military and many of the locations they are deployed to are anything but safe. Deployment rings can show these heroes how much you appreciate their dedication and service.