Jewelry Designer Jenny Syquia Wants Her Pieces to Become Heirlooms

Jenny Syquia’s new brand, TRIT (The Road I’ve Traveled), was created with the intention of transforming jewelry into pieces that honor life’s significant moments.

Things have a way of bubbling to the surface when the time is right. An idea might come to you fleetingly, like in a dream, then return fully formed the moment it is ready to be brought to life. For model, entrepreneur, magazine founder, former Vogue fashion assistant, and now jewelry designer Jenny Syquia, her new brand, The Road I’ve Traveled or TRIT, has been years in the making. It was a concept formed more than a decade ago when she simply started designing jewelry for herself.

One evening, inside an office space on Makati’s Jupiter Street, Syquia presented the rings on her hands, showcasing diamonds artfully arranged to symbolize the birthdays of her daughters. “I made these for myself more than 10 years ago and thought, ‘What a cool idea.’ The thought of turning this into a line just stayed in my head for a while,” she shares. The entire process was intricate and labor-intensive, involving many steps. “It took a long time, especially with the pandemic. I’ve been trying to get it out for four years. But now it’s here,” she says, running her fingers over the diamonds.

Ever since the pandemic forced us into a period of isolation, the importance of touch has become even more apparent; it is, after all, a language of its own. With this in mind, TRIT was created with the intention of transforming jewelry into meaningful heirlooms that honor life’s significant moments; personalized pieces that you can feel. Designed with their TouchDate Technique (which they’re currently in the process of getting patented), each piece turns meaningful dates, from birthdays to anniversaries, into diamonds or raised dots. If your birthday was on March 5, for example, a Memorya Classic Ring would be composed of three diamonds signifying the month on one side, and five signifying the day on the other. The brand also features other pieces subtly filled with meaning: their Around the Sun Pendant can be customized with diamonds to celebrate the number of years travelled around the sun, while the Mahal earrings follow the same concept as the rings. Almost like second skin, these pieces are meant to be worn every day, keeping your memories close and tangible. 

TRIT’s creations are made from recycled metals, and the brand strives to create from a hundred percent recycled gold and silver in the future. Additionally, Syquia says their pieces are sustainably handcrafted by artisans in China, in certified factories that Jenny has visited and formed relationships with herself. “They’re not mass-produced; you won’t find 500 people requesting the same date on their rings. That’s why I’ll never sell in stores. I sell directly to the consumer,” Syquia explains.

The designer’s sentimentality is what ultimately led her to launch TRIT, and it’s what enables her to easily share the stories of the many lives she has lived. She delves into her archive of memories, including her time at Vogue when she was living in New York. “I started off as an assistant to Richard Alleman in the editorial department, where we focused on travel, theater, and, oddly, cars,” she recalls. “Then I moved over to the fashion department, where I was first an assistant to Gail Pincus. When she left, I became the assistant of Natasha Loeb. I was their fashion assistant for three years.”

Syquia’s time at Vogue included assisting the black-and-white supermodel shoot by Peter Lindbergh, featuring legends like Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Tatjana Patitz. She was set to work at French Vogue with Jenny Capitan but ultimately found herself in Manila, on a trip around the world, where she began modeling and decided to stay. 

A crash course into the fashion industry is not the only reason why Syquia remains grateful to the publication. “My parents separated when I was young, and there was no connection with my dad,” she explains. “But when my name was on the masthead at Vogue, my sister [who I had never met] saw it and said to him, ‘Who’s Jennifer Syquia?’ That’s how we reconnected.”

Inspired by her experience at Condé Nast, she founded Bride Philippines in the ’90s. “When I came here, it was like a lightbulb moment. How are people in the Philippines spending so much money on weddings, yet no wedding magazine exists? I couldn’t believe it. So, I started one.”

At this stage in her life, TRIT is not just a brand to Syquia, but a reflection of her evolving journey. “I used to avoid talking about my age, but this brand has helped me realize that I can start something at any age. I mean, just look at what Demi Moore said during her Golden Globes speech,” she says excitedly, referencing the actress’ poignant remarks on discovering new purpose later in her life.

“They say 50 is the new 30. So if we round up I’m almost 60, which I guess is the new 40! I’m at the age when society used to say we should be winding down,” Syquia says. “Am I scared starting something new at this stage of my life? My answer is: the road I’ve travelled has led me here. I’m more scared of what would happen if I didn’t start this. I’m too creative to let my dreams just live in my head.”