With male spending on clothing and accessories outpacing women’s, jewelers are rebranding.
Only a few short years ago, shopping for men’s jewelry was disheartening. The entire spectrum would boil down to three not entirely appealing options: dog tags, leather wrap bracelets and beads. And if you weren’t into the surfer vibe or considered yourself a weekend rock star, you probably weren’t into jewelry either. However, with men’s jewelry enjoying a boost of creativity, it might be time to reassess.
This shift, in part, is down to demand. We have moved on from the years of the metrosexual (a term mouthed in slow motion by uptight aunts and uncles everywhere), when men started to embrace grooming, but did so under a light mist of shame. Now, grooming is booming, with the market — including items such as shaving, hair and beauty products — worth an estimated $50 billion last year. And a new attention to appearance has led to the average American man spending $10 more a month on clothing and accessories than women, or so says a study by PR firm The Boutique@Ogilvy, which also forecasts men will increase their spending on fashion at close to twice the rate of women.
Gender-neutral collections
Jewelry designers have heartily embraced this confident, stylish new man. In an age when terms like non-binary and gender equality are gaining traction, many jewelers, rather than creating dedicated men’s lines, are simply branding new collections as unisex. British jeweler Stephen Webster, one of the leading lights in men’s jewelry, did just this last year when he teamed up with young fashion designer Blondey McCoy to deliver an edgy fine-jewelry collection called Thames, which is rich in tough motifs like razor blades, sovereigns and London iconography.
Akillis has spent the past decade creating jewels that “don’t discriminate against gender.” Its newest unisex collection, Capture Me — a reflection on obsessive love — comprises bangles and rings toughened with jagged, teeth-like triangles set with diamonds. Fellow French house Messika has also brought diamonds to men in an innovative way, with Move, a collection of titanium jewels set with diamonds that roll within secure tracks on pendants, rings and cuffs. The use of titanium, which can be black or silver in tone, is a popular choice for men’s jewels, as it is lighter and tougher than precious metals.
Other methods of darkening designs, such as layering black rhodium plating over white gold, give designs a masculine edge; this is used by Diane Kordas in its Amulette collection of pendants that can be filled with scent, and sells to both men and women. Black diamonds create a similar effect. Ara Vartanian frequently sets these gems in his men’s jewels, which are meant to be stacked — another strong trend.
With new designs and a fresh attitude to accessorizing, a welcome shift is occurring in men’s jewelry. As Webster says: “Tainted by the 1970s moniker ‘medallion man,’ gentlemen and jewelry have taken several years to become reacquainted…though the democratization of men’s jewelry has now led to men from all walks of life being able to find a place for jewelry in their wardrobes.”
In an age when terms like non-binary and gender equality are gaining traction, many jewelers… are simply branding new collections as unisex
Main image: Protection green champlevé enamel and diamond Cigar Band ring by Foundrae.
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