When we think of jewelry, we automatically think of jewelry for women. These days it is becoming more and more common and fashionable for men to wear jewelry. While much of men’s jewelry has a purpose, there are many items that have no purpose other than to complement a man’s natural good looks. Read on to discover some obvious (and not-so-obvious) jewelry options for men.
Make a statement with men’s jewelry
1. Clocks
Clocks have been around for a few centuries and serve a useful purpose. Gold jewelry machine? Honestly, a watch is really a piece of jewelry that also tells the time. This is a way to get men who don’t like to wear “jewelry” to actually wear jewelry without knowing it. The type of watch worn has to match the image the man wants to project: a watch for the executive, a Swatch for the artist, a Nike for the athlete. Since many men have active lifestyles, there are different watches designed for different activities.
2. Rings
The next most common piece of jewelry worn by men is a ring. The reason is that in almost all cultures, rings are used to symbolize marriage between two people. Rings have been around for centuries. Unlike watches, they do not serve a purpose, but when worn on the left ring finger, they send a signal about a man’s marital status. Wedding rings used to be made only of gold or platinum. In fact, it wasn’t until recently that wedding band designers began to experiment with the idea of using alternative metals. One of the first alternative metals was titanium. The metal was valued for its light weight, white color, and strength. It is used for many other types of jewelry, not just rings. Less than 5 years ago, tungsten carbide, a metal relatively unknown to the general public, suddenly exploded in popularity. It now comprises 20% of all men’s wedding ring sales in North America. Tungsten men’s wedding bands are valued for their extreme hardness. They are four times harder than titanium and have a considerable weight that men like. Tungsten is so hard that only a diamond or sapphire can scratch it. Tungsten is also very affordable. If you want to stick to a precious metal ring, but don’t want to pay the bucks for a gold or platinum ring, palladium may be the way to go. Palladium rings look and act like platinum because both metals belong to the same family of metals, the platinum group metals. Palladium, however, is 70% less expensive than platinum rings. Many jewelers only deal in a few select metals.
3. Earring(s)
Traditionally for women, the earring is now accepted by society for men. Some men wear one earring and others two. Men who have traditional jobs in an office setting are often discouraged from wearing earrings or are not allowed by company policy to wear them. Although less popular as gifts for men, earrings are here to stay as men’s jewelry.
4. Bracelets
Although less popular than watches, bracelets are a piece of jewelry for many men. Men’s bracelets used to be made of heavier and more expensive metals such as gold, but alternative metals are becoming more popular. The variety of materials used for bracelets is more varied than for rings or watches, and many of them are not even metals. There are bracelets made from wood, carbon fiber, and ceramic beads, as well as stainless steel and titanium. They often incorporate more than one of the materials mentioned above.
5. Necklaces
Necklaces were worn by more men in the past than they are today. Men who wear necklaces tend to wear only one. In the past there was a greater tendency to wear multiple necklaces. Multiple necklaces can be seen as tacky or “slimy” today, and as such many men today avoid wearing multiple necklaces.
6. Pendants
Men have mostly gone from wearing necklaces to wearing pendants. Pendants can be worn to show a man’s religious faith or simply to express himself. The most common pendant to wear is the cross, in countless variations, and like bracelets, pendants that were once made primarily of gold are now made in all manner of metallic and non-metallic materials. Some men wear pendants in conjunction with necklaces, while others choose to wear their pendants around their necks on a modest black leather cord.
7. Twins
Commonly known as men’s accessories, cufflinks are actually jewelry that men wear without thinking they’re there, they just keep their shirt cuffs buttoned, right? Cufflinks are most often worn in an office setting where more professional attire is required. They make great Father’s Day gifts or birthday gifts. They are usually made of stainless steel or in some cases of titanium. Gold is used, but is less common.
8. Money clip
Men who like to display higher status, or at least the appearance of high status, tend to wear money clips. Since credit cards are so ubiquitous, many men don’t have cash in their pockets, which defeats the purpose of a money clip. The clip part of the money clip is usually made of stainless steel, and if there is a decorative element on the clip, it can be made of silver, gold, or some other type of material. Money clips are often given on the same occasions as cufflinks.
9. Fountain pens
Designer fountain pens can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, and tend to be gifts that companies give to their male and female executives. They can also be given as gifts to friends or spouses. In today’s high-tech world, writing with pens is less common, even signatures can be electronic now. The fountain pen is becoming more of a piece of jewelry than a functional item.
10. Keychains
Keychains are a jewelry item that is used to perform a function rather than a piece of jewelry. For this reason, few key chains are made from expensive metals. Most are made of stainless steel, leather, or titanium. This is a gift that is popular for Father’s Day or birthdays, especially from a son or daughter.
