Jewellery for Men is still a newcomer in the modern world of fashion. For centuries, jewellery was always considered to be feminine, since women were usually the ones sporting earrings and necklaces. As a result, men would avoid jewellery out of fear of being stripped of their masculinity.
Now, though, it’s incredibly fashionable for males to accessorise their outfits with stylistic jewellery pieces. The stigma that was once attached to stylistic pieces like rings, cufflinks and chains have since faded into nothingness.
Although popular in today’s world, few men know exactly how to style their jewellery. Wise choices will provide you with quality pieces that make any outfit pop. Poor choices, on the other hand, are sure to ruin your look and come across as ostentatious or inappropriate.
It’s important to know what you’re looking for when it comes to jewellery. In this article, we’ll be teaching you everything you need to know.
The Most Popular Types of Men’s Jewellery
When it comes to jewellery, you really are spoilt for choice. There are cufflinks, watches, rings, lapel pins and necklaces, as well as a plethora of other pieces with which you can style your outfits.
Before we delve into the specifics of style and quality, let’s first take a look at the most popular types of men’s jewellery on the market at the moment.
Watches
The humble watch is a timeless piece – an essential companion to the modern man. A watch is one of the best places to start when it comes to incorporating jewellery into your wardrobe. Why? Because it’s just so simple.
Moreover, watches serve as a status symbol for many. Rolex and F.P. Journe manufacture watches not just to enable wearers to tell the time, but to communicate elegance and class to those they meet. Watches are both smart and functional, with leather straps and golden rims encasing a portable, easily-accessible clock.
If you’re looking to begin accessorising your outfits with jewellery, investing in a nice watch is a failsafe starting point. Handing your credit card over to Rolex isn’t essential, though. Instead, opt for an affordable piece that matches your style.
Bracelets
Next, on the list are bracelets. Small and easy to stack with other pieces of jewellery, bracelets can make a great addition to any outfit. Coupled with a watch and a few rings, bracelets have the potential to level up your entire outfit without commanding too much attention.
When it comes to bracelets, less is usually more. Populating your wrist with hordes of bangles and straps will only make your choices look tacky and unintentional.
Rather than throwing anything onto your wrist and hoping that it works, select one or two leather, metal or wooden bracelets that pair best with both casual and business outfits. Wear one at a time, ensuring that the selected bracelet matches with your watch. Wear any more than one and you run the risk of having your wrists look messy and overcrowded.
Ensuring that your chosen bracelet matches with your watch will provide you with a classic and balanced look, leaving you perfectly dressed for any occasion.
Rings
Wedding bands and engagement rings have been frequent contenders in the world of men’s jewellery for centuries. Rings are perhaps one of the only pieces able to dodge the emasculating stigma surrounding earrings and necklaces, withstanding the test of time.
Rings are perfect additions to any outfit since they’re both subtle and elegant. They combine class with minimalism, working to accentuate your style without coming across as overly bold or flashy.
Donning two or three rings at the most will ensure that you’re not going overboard. Ensuring that your rings match one another, too, whether that’s in terms of material, style or design will enable you to demonstrate a stylistic flair to those that you meet.
When it comes to material, most rings are metal, though there are wooden and hybrid (wood and metal) varieties available in today’s market. Try experimenting with different styles, mixing and matching until you find the combinations that best suit your aesthetic.
Necklaces
When it comes to necklaces, there are hundreds of different styles and materials available. From pendants and chains to dog tags and beads, necklaces can be used to accentuate an outfit, adding depth to an otherwise bland look.
A black t-shirt and jeans, for example, is a classic combination. Throwing a pendant necklace over the top, though, combined with a sleek watch and a couple of rings, takes an otherwise plain and minimalistic outfit to a completely different level.
Necklaces can be worn either in or out depending on your preferences. Often they’re seen tucked inside of t-shirts and sweaters, revealing a subtle chain wrapped around the back of the neck. When deciding on which style of necklace to wear and whether to have it in or out, it’s important to consider the rest of your outfit. A suit, for instance, wouldn’t pair well with a thick golden chain hanging behind your tie. Streetwear, on the other hand, would blend well with such an accessory.
Survey your options and decide on a couple of pieces that best suit your everyday style. That way, you’ll be sure to find a combination of accessories that work to make your outfit pop.
Cufflinks
Nothing speaks class quite like cufflinks. When it comes to business dress and occasional wear, cufflinks are timeless pieces that scream elegance, style and sophistication.
Because cufflinks are less common nowadays, accentuating a smart, well-fitting button-down with a pair of high-quality cufflinks will make you stand out from the crowd.
Unlike other forms of jewellery, cufflinks are ideal accessories to corporate outfits. While golden chains and flashy bracelets are relatively limiting in their wearability, cufflinks are perfect for the office.
Corporate jewellery is another stylish option when it comes to cufflinks. Nothing speaks class and finesse like custom-made lapel pins, designed to reflect the colours, logo or values of a company whilst serving as a sigil of loyalty to the job.
Cufflinks generally require a shirt with french cuffs in order to be attached. In terms of style, you have two choices: opting more for formality with a smaller, understated pair or going bold with something more stylistic. It’s up to you.
Ear Piercings
When experimenting with men’s jewellery, earrings are generally one of the hardest pieces for a man to pull off. Moreover, many men feel reluctant to have their ear pierced for fear of being deemed feminine or womanly.
While the latter shouldn’t be a concern of yours, since many men have piercings nowadays without jeopardizing their precious manhood, the former still remains true. Earrings aren’t for everybody, and you should carefully consider whether they’re the right option for you before jumping the gun and getting a piercing.
Of course, if you make the wrong choice then your ear will heal in time, but it’s better to make these decisions with foresight. Consider factors like your everyday attire, facial shape and hairstyle. Will a piercing a complement these things, or detract from your overall look?
If you decide that an ear piercing is for you, great. Go for it. Remember, though, that subtlety is usually best. Opt for smaller, less eye-catching pieces at first while you gauge whether you like your piercing or not. If you do, don’t be afraid to experiment with something a little bolder – just avoid going overboard.
Tie Bars
Pairing perfectly with cufflinks, tie bars are both functional and fashionable. They serve the purpose of keeping ties in place whilst conveying style and elegance.
Moreover, tie bars are subtle. They aren’t exactly a fashion risk – rather, a minimalistic way to add a little extra depth to a formal outfit.
Furthermore, tie bars are perfect jewellery items when it comes to corporate jewellery. Custom-made pieces can’t be bought on the high street, either, making them a bespoke and stylish option.
When using a tie bar, just remember to ensure the right placement and width. Generally, proper placement of a tie bar would entail placing it between the third and fourth button from the top of your shirt. A tie bar should also be as wide as about one half of your tie.
Investing in a tie bar to match your favourite pair of cufflinks will leave you looking sharp and refined, topping off any formal or occasional outfit.
Lapel Pins
Lapel pins can make the perfect finishing touch to any smart or smart-casual outfit. Like tie bars and cufflinks, lapel pins convey style in a subtle and minimalistic way.
Custom-made corporate lapel pins are excellent choices when it comes to stylising a suit. Designed to suit the preferences of the wearer, corporate pins can’t be bought from standard jewellery dealers and will make you stand out.
Styling Jewellery for Men: The 4 Key Rules
Now that we’ve covered the basics of men’s jewellery, it’s important that you also know how to style it. With so many pieces available to buy, understanding which ones work well together, which one’s clash and the dos and don’ts of men’s jewellery is the next step.
That’s what this section is all about.
1. Keep Things Simple
As said previously, less is often more when it comes to fashion – particularly with regards to men’s jewellery. Since jewellery pieces are used to accentuate outfits rather than form the outfit itself, going overboard will only make things look messy and overcrowded.
If in doubt, keep things simple. Beginning with a classic, minimalistic watch and matching it with a similarly-styled ring, for instance, is always a good place to start. If a sportier watch is more your kind of thing, that’s fine too. Just start with the basics.
Once you’ve got those covered, you can branch out by incorporating other accessories, like a leather bracelet or a set of cufflinks.
As you become more comfortable with wearing jewellery on a regular basis, experimenting with other pieces will become easier and easier. Find what works for you, but keep things simple.
2. Always Match Materials
When you’re wearing golden rings or a brown leather watch, ensuring that your materials match one another will keep your outfit looking stylish and intentional.
Gold, for instance, is a warmer colour and usually complements leather browns and earthier tones. Silver, on the other hand, is more neutral. Silver is unlikely to clash with anything and will generally pair well with most other materials.
Pairing gold and leather will create a sleek, classic look, while black and silver keep things clean and monochrome. Whatever you choose to wear, ensuring that your materials match one another is key to achieving a stylish and complete look.
3. Be Mindful of Symbolism
More often than not, jewellery for men carries meaning. A Rolex speaks luxury and elegance, while an ear-piercing communicates risk and edginess.
Whatever accessories you decide to wear, it’s important to remain mindful of the fact that your jewellery will serve the added purpose of communicating meaning to those that see you wearing it.
There are a few general rules you can adopt when wearing jewellery to avoid carrying the wrong messages about your character. These are:
- Avoid being too flashy: When it comes to jewellery, there are a lot of ostentatious styles on the market. If that’s your thing, go for it. If you’d like to keep things more subtle, though, stick to small and sleek designs.
- Wear meaningful jewellery: Other than wedding rings, it’s always a good idea to opt for jewellery pieces that carry personal meaning to you. A religious cross necklace, for instance, let’s people know that you’re a follower of Christianity. Wearing a cross as an atheist, though, will send the wrong messages and create confusion. Ensuring that your jewellery represents your beliefs, values and stylistic preferences will convey accurate meanings to those you meet.
- Know when to wear a particular accessory: Cufflinks and tie clips are best for formal occasions. Watches and bracelets are perfect for everyday wear. Knowing when to wear your jewellery items is important since adding them to the wrong outfits at the wrong times will only detract from your overall style.
4. Adhere to Dress Codes
Certain jewellery types might be restricted in particular settings. Flashy earrings or gold chains, for instance, aren’t always the most appropriate choices for the office and may not meet your company’s dress codes.
When working or attending an event, it’s important to keep dress expectations in mind. Although you might not be breaking any rules, certain accessories might come across as jarring and inappropriate in some situations.
In recent years, most modern businesses have broadened their expectations to include bracelets, earrings and ethnic jewellery. While the goalposts may have shifted, it’s still critical that you find out the expectations of your workplace or an event and conform to those.
Summary
When it comes to men’s jewellery, it’s easy to overstep the line between class and ostentatiousness. Moreover, since some pieces of jewellery might only be appropriate in particular circumstances, knowing what to wear and when to wear it is crucial to sharpening your look without destroying your outfit altogether.
Knowledge is the key to success in this department. That’s why in this article, we covered everything you need to know about styling men’s jewellery.
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