What does the jewellery wearer want?
Before you head off to purchase jewellery, whether in a brick and mortar store or online, you need to have an understanding of the wearers’ personal style and what they want from their jewellery. It may be that they want something that they can wear every day, or perhaps something for special occasions. Choosing something can be daunting, but knowing what the wearer wants and likes makes it a whole lot easier.
Some things to think about when choosing jewellery for someone include:
- Colours: Do they want gold? If so, white gold or yellow gold, or even rose gold? There is also silver, of course. Ideally, you should stick to one colour of jewellery throughout, but hey, rules can be broken! In terms of the colour wheel, gold is a warmer colour that reads like a yellow accent. Browns and other earth tones, as well as deep hues like blue and green, go nicely with it. If you are buying several pieces of gold jewellery, keep an eye out for different tones– Gold comes in a wide range of shades and if the variation is significant, you may wind up with pieces that don’t match.
- Metals with silver tones, such as polished stainless steel or chrome, are neutral. They read like greys, as they fall on the black-to-white gradient rather than the colour wheel. That means they don’t clash as much as gold, but they also don’t create the same eye-catching contrasts. For a sleek, classic look, pair silver jewellery with black or dark grey apparel.
- Symbolism and meaning: In the vast majority of cases, jewellery has meaning. While jewellery is usually only a small part of someone’s overall look, it is often something people notice straight away, particularly on a man. To make it even more complicated, different people interpret the meaning of jewellery very differently. For example, in some circles, an ornamental style ring can be symbolic of belonging to an organized criminal group while for others, it can simply be a sign of wealth and success.
What are the different types of jewellery available for men?
- Cufflinks: Cufflinks certainly have a purpose, but that does not mean they aren’t also pieces of jewellery. Apart from watches and rings, cufflinks are possibly the most commonly worn piece of men’s jewellery nowadays. The majority of them are made out of less expensive metals, such as sterling silver, yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, or platinum. Sometimes, cufflinks have additional decorative elements such as precious jewels- rubies and emeralds are popular, or are made out of materials such as mother of pearl.
- Watches: Again, watches serve a primarily functional purpose, but that does not mean they can’t be decorative as well. Many men spend thousands of dollars on high-quality and high-end brand watches – just look at Rolex’s! One could argue that those with leather straps are more functional while a watch with a metal band is more like a piece of jewellery. However, when it comes down to it, it is a personal preference!
- Rings: Of course, the most common type of ring for a man to wear is a wedding ring. However, pinky rings and signet rings are not uncommon. There are more ‘rules’ around rings than other pieces of jewellery in terms of what they symbolize, how many should be worn at once, and on which finger.
- Bracelets and necklaces: These are not quite as common on men as they once were, but we think it is definitely time for a resurgence in popularity. Many heavy link chains and bracelets have become synonymous with wealth – and not always in a good way. You might want to steer clear of these and look for ones made of semi-precious stones, such as tiger’s eye or onyx or lapis lazuli. You could also look for ones made of other materials such as leather or beads, and perhaps even check out magnetic bracelets for men. There are said to all sorts of medical benefits from jewellery with magnetic properties, and while there is no medical or scientific evidence that supports this conclusively, there is lots of anecdotal feedback stating improvements to health. It is worth checking out, right?
The Do’s and Don’ts For Men’s jewellery
- Less is more: The first tip is to avoid wearing jewellery with prominent branding or that is excessively extravagant unless you want to impress others with your status insignia rather than your personality. Always remember that jewellery captures the eye since it’s usually made of metal or is reflective. Less is pretty much always more, and if it is described as blingy, it probably means it is over the top.
- Don’t wear too much jewellery at one time: Coco Chanel gave the infamous advice of removing one accessory before you leave the house, and that goes as much for men as it does women. As in the previous point, less is more, so keep to one or two good pieces of jewellery and leave the rest in your jewellery box at home.
- Make sure your jewellery is correctly proportioned: Men with bigger hands and wrists can pull off chunkier rings, bracelets, and watches. Men with slimmer proportions need jewellery that aligns with that.
- Choose jewellery with meaning: Pandora’s commercial success is due to the fact that it allows women to memorialise significant events in their lives by including them in their jewellery bracelets. Men can memorialise a significant event in their lives with a watch, a signet ring, or a pair of cufflinks. It could be something they do to reward themselves, or it could be linked to a family member like their father or uncle.
- Choose pieces appropriate for the occasion: You wouldn’t want to show up or be bedazzled at a funeral because that would draw attention to you and your status symbols or shiny goods rather than the deceased. This is not just true for clothing in general, but especially for jewellery. Another example is that if you’re going to a job interview, it’s probably not a good idea to wear your most valuable and opulent timepiece. However, if you are closing a business deal, wearing something classic but expensive – like said Rolex – might be a good idea to subtly show how successfully you are.
- Match metals: Consider all of the metals in your outfit, from belt buckles and buttons to your jewellery, and try to make sure that they all match as far as possible. The exception to this is a wedding ring; this is personal and is not generally taken off, so it does not matter if thus matches or not.
When it comes to jewellery, there are no cut and dried rules. What works for one person, one occasion or one outfit does not necessarily mean it will work for the next. It is a very personal thing, as is everything related to fashion. However, these tips above will give you some guidance on buying and wearing jewellery for men.