Michigan Wolverines Official

Michigan Wolverines Official

Produce an item, slap on a logo or college mascot and call it it a gift. Unfortunately, that has been the case with college gifts for many years. With the huge increase in college tailgate parties, the college gift has reached a new level of popularity - and an increase in demand for quality items.

What should you give the recent college grad or current student?

Arthur Court Designs meets the college gift challenge head on with their Collegiate Line. Designed with entertaining in mind, the Arthur Court Collegiate Collection will be the envy of tailgate party neighbors everywhere. The collection includes serving trays, picture frames, chip and dip trays, serving pieces, pilsner glasses and more. New items and colleges are added each year.

Here are the featured colleges in the collection:

• University of Alabama - Crimson Tide
• University of Arkansas - Razorbacks
• Auburn University - Tigers
• University of Florida - Gators
• Florida State University - Seminoles
• University of Georgia - Bulldogs
• Louisiana State University - Tigers
• University of Michigan - Wolverines
• University of Mississippi/Ole Miss - Rebels
• University of North Carolina - Tarheels
• University of Oklahoma - Sooners
• Stanford University - Cardinal
• University of Tennessee - Volunteers
• Texas Tech University - Red Raiders
• University of Texas - Longhorns

These college gifts, in the form of beautiful aluminum serveware, are suitable for even the finest homes, while durable enough to toss in the back of the SUV for the next tailgate party. As with all Arthur Court Designs, hand wash only, as the high heat of the dishwasher will ruin the finish.

Still not sure what to purchase for your grad? If you prefer something more subtle, here are some ideas for upscale college gifts:

Engraved Business Card Case

A sterling silver business card case is an excellent gift for a college graduate entering the work force. Engrave the recipient's name or initials on the outside and a personal message from you on the inside of the lid.

Sterling Silver Letter Opener

Despite the prevalence of e-mail, a letter opener is still a classic gift, and when you add engraving it becomes a treasured staple on a budding executive's desk.

Engraved Key Chain

The college graduate will appreciate something nice after wearing keys on a lanyard around the neck for the last four years. This affordable gift is appropriate for graduates of any age.

Pencil Cup

A mint julep cup makes a perfect pencil cup, and is a wonderful choice because it is both versatile and handsome. Engrave it with the graduates monogram or initials, or name and graduation date, and it becomes an instant hit.

College gifts don't have to be boring, cheap or made of plastic. As you see, there are many ways to give the best college gift without blowing the budget - and the ideas in this article will please any college grad, regardless of age.

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Stacey Strawn, co-owner of Silver Gallery, knows a lot about college gifts and other engraved gifts. She has appeared as a featured gift-giving expert on the Mitch Albom Show and many other radio talk shows across the country.

Silver Gallery has enjoyed the favor of Hollywood, having been chosen by the Screen Actors' Guild as an official source of presenter gifts and picture frames for the SAG Awards™ for the past several years, as well as providing upscale baby gifts to celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Liv Tyler and Geena Davis, special gifts for Nicole Richie and bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts for Tori Spelling's lavish first wedding.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit the Creative Commons web site or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA