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Tuesday, August 28, 2001
Heavy metal
Local men go for the gold with pinkie rings, rope chains
By Cassandra Hinojosa
Caller-Times

Diamonds aren't just a girl's best friend anymore.
   The ubiquitous men's pinkie ring - along with a variety of pendants, chains, cuffs and earrings - are in high demand, thanks to high-profile rap artists and a growing fondness for anything that resembles fashion's '80s excess.
   Raymond Wynn says he's struck gold with a 14-karat gold ring with a black onyx stone surrounded by diamonds, a 10-karat gold bracelet and 14-karat gold rope chain. All of the pieces were gifts from his mother.

   "I probably would never buy this for myself," said Wynn, 37, who works in retail sales. "I think it makes a man look distinguished; I got the idea from actor George Hamilton, and he looks very sharp. He always wears a pinkie ring."
   Wynn's personal purchases include a $300 gold rope bracelet that is engraved with his first initial and last name, "L. Wynn." And he's always on the lookout to increase his collection. He's got his eye on a gold coin pinkie ring, gifts from mom notwithstanding.
   And he's not the only one plunking down top dollar for his personal collection of pricey jewelry.
   According to a Unity Marketing survey released this year, men spend an average of $740 when making a fine jewelry purchase for themselves - compared to $638 when buying a gift.
   Big jewelry for big guys
   As a rule of thumb, the bigger the guy, the bigger the jewelry, says Denny Bales, owner of Susann's Custom Jewelers.

   "Most (men) want something heavier, more on the masculine side," he said.
   While men's pinkie rings may be making a comeback, Bales says gold rope chains remain the No. 1 bestseller in men's jewelry in his store. Like Wynn, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student Luis Suarez also shares a fondness for pinkie rings and never leaves home without wearing one. His collection of pinkie rings ranges in price from $300 to $1,500 each.
   "Pinkie rings stand out more because they're on your smallest finger, and they're pretty big," said Suarez, 21, a computer science major.
   One of Suarez' favorite pieces has a center diamond surrounded by six smaller diamonds. The ring itself is a combination of white and yellow gold. His other favorite is a 14-karat gold nugget ring with three diamonds.
   Besides the flash of a pinkie ring, Suarez says his white-gold and diamond hoop earrings get most attention from strangers.

   "Jewelry makes me feel better. I meet a lot more people that way," Suarez said. "People (come up to me and) say, 'That's bling, bling.'"
   Thanks to hip and accessible rappers like LL Cool J and P. Diddy, what was regarded as chunky and tacky is now seen as funky and fun.
   "In the past, there were limited styles of jewelry - gaudy and ostentatious - associated with used car salesmen and gangsters," said Jeff Prine, senior editor of Modern Jeweler Magazine. These people were viewed as untrustworthy.
   Today's young crowd has turned the stereotype on its head, Prine said.
   "There's a hidden demand for men's jewelry and trends are propelled by younger men in their teens and 20s," Prine said.
   Don't overdo it
   But not everyone is following the "bigger is better" mindset when it comes to men's jewelry.

   Wearing a wedding band is just about the only tradition Del Mar College student Matthew Vandervoort plans to follow.
   "I'm not a big fan of men's jewelry," says Vandervoort, 27, who appreciates the sentimentality of a certain gold dragon ring that's been passed down in his family for four generations - but that still doesn't mean he'll wear it.
   Joseph Castañon, 23, prefers the understated look. He wears a two-toned gold and silver cross on a figaro necklace, a style that includes mulitple sizes of links on one necklace, but that's about it. "You don't want to overdo it," said Castañon, a pawn broker. "If you are going to an interview, you don't want to wear a big chain. Hide it or don't wear it."


Contact Cassandra Hinojosa at 886-3617 or hinojosac@caller.com

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