Sunday, March 25, 2007 Classic symbol By Mayette Q. Tabada
EVEN romance has to modernize.
With gold peaking by the ounce, dewy-eyed couples in today’s campuses would rather text and “pass a load” than swap class rings.
But for jeweler Wilfredo “Willy” Suarez of Suarez & Sons Inc., the class ring “may still be the first real jewelry investment (that) very well shows a student’s achievements.”
According to www.suarezandsons.com, the Suarez motto guarantees pulido (quality) craftsmanship and matapat (sincere) dealings with clients patronizing a variety of personal and corporate products that the company specializes in nearly 54 years of metal stamping and casting.
In 1985, Suarez & Sons Inc. was incorporated in Manila by Felimon and eldest son Rafael. At this time, Willy, a fine arts graduate who majored in advertising, was learning the latest in technology and running a trophy and engraving shop, south of San Francisco.
When he returned to the country, Suarez & Sons Inc. opened in Mactan.
While Willy, 48, targets the local market for metal arts and jewelry, his brother, Oscar, 42, runs Symbol Arts Phils. Inc., which focuses on the U.S., U.K. and Japan since the company began exporting in 1999.
The high price of gold and the trend towards minimalism has popularized class rings that are smaller and simpler, observes Willy. “The exception to this is the rings ordered by the military. For them, bigger is still better.”
Despite the rise and ebb of fashion trends, one thing remains constant, claims Willy. “We have a name to protect… and that’s why we guarantee not only workmanship and design but also the material.”
Carrying a lifetime guarantee, a class ring can range from P2,000 to P15,000, depending on the amount of gold used, model and size specified by the client.
Willy observes that the local pawnshops’ acceptance of Suarez rings is proof that “the amount and quality of (their) gold is guaranteed.”
Another distinguishing trait is the detail of the engraving. Willy explains that the secret lies in the molds of tooled steel that leave clear impressions of the school seal, family crest, corporate logo or any design ordered by the client.
“From afar, one can easily tell if the ring is Suarez-made.”
Due to its extensive collection of molds accumulated over the years, no minimum order is required to order a school ring with an existing mold. Other items popular as gifts or mementoes of graduates are charm bracelets, tie tacks, cufflinks and pendants.
“We can work with their ideas and create something different and unique only to their batch.”
So while modern romances may not last longer than a phone load, a classic Suarez ring in karat gold shows off best the crowning glories of one’s years in academe.
