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In 1913, Lloyd Garfield Balfour took notice of the expanding number of students
enrolling in college, and the growing popularity of sororities and fraternities.
He saw a unique opportunity, and began Balfour, a company that manufactured and
distributed high-quality fraternity and sorority jewelry to college campuses across
the country.
During WWI, we were called upon to produce military insignia for the U.S. Armed
Forces. After the War, we developed new product lines including high school and
college rings, pins, commercial insignia, stationery, diplomas and awards. Because
of these new products, we were more than ready to take advantage of increases in
school populations after the second World War. We also took notice in the growth
of American business, and created a market for employee achievement and recognition
products.
In the 1970s, gold was freed from government monetary controls. It rose from $35
per ounce to $850 per ounce. In response to the increase, we introduced special
alloys to make class rings affordable for everyone, and developed special manufacturing
techniques that allowed us to offer students an endless variety of personalized
ring design choices.
Our aspirations to continually improve Balfour and its products led us to start
producing Championship rings. Since then, Balfour has come to be known as the “choice
of champions,” because of our excellent quality and design services. We have produced
Super Bowl rings for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, World Series champions
New York Yankees, and Stanley Cup champions New York Rangers, as well as countless
high school state and collegiate champions across the country.
In late 1996, Balfour combined with the business of CJC Holdings, Inc. to become
part of a new company, Commemorative Brands, Inc. As part of this merger, we adopted
a new home in Austin, Texas, and continue to keep our reputation for producing quality
and innovative products, while being dependent and reliable to our customers.
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