If we look at the history of jewellery and ornamentation, adorning a piece of jewel was never a gendered practice. From cavemen wearing jewellery carved out of shells, stones and bones, the noble men of the medieval times adorning themselves with gold, silver and precious gemstones to showcase their power and status, to the period of Renaissance followed by the next few decades, till the 19th century, men had as much an affinity towards wearing jewellery as women. India is a great example – though spoken about very often, one cannot simply omit the case of the Patiala necklace, commissioned by the Maharaja of Patiala from Cartier. The Patiala necklace is neither the only piece of ornament the Maharaja is known for commissioning nor is he the only Indian Prince of his times to have had this voracious appetite for precious jewellery.
With industrialisation, somewhere along the line, the act of wearing jewellery became “feminine”. Men began to view accessorising from a more practical lens, and hence wristwatches, tie pins and cufflinks became staple accessories for them. Since then, we’ve seen men playing peek-a-boo with jewellery instigated by the cultural changes brought forth by rock-n-roll, punk, hip-hop, grunge and such other movements. However, it is not until recently that a greater number of men are not just comfortable wearing gender-fluid jewellery, but are also wearing it to not just make a style statement but a strong political one too!
The socio-economic-cultural
trifecta
In the realm of high jewellery, the
likes of Boucheron, Tiffany & Co,
Cartier, and Louis Vuitton have all
launched collections that are either
gender-fluid or specific to men. What
has given birth to this ‘resurgence’?
Katerina Perez, Editor-in-Chief of
KaterinaPerez.com, believes that rather
than calling it resurgence, we must
put men’s jewellery in context. “The
landscape of masculinity is changing
and as more celebrities tap into their
individualism, we have seen a steady
increase in men wearing fine jewellery
on the red carpet, including Harry
Styles, Shawn Mendes and Timothée
Chalamet. Gender fluidity has also
played a role in the diversification of
jewellery, helping to shift perceptions
and ‘unlock’ the styling potential of
jewels typically designed for women,” says Katerina.
Tiffany’s recent ‘About Love’ campaign, featuring both Jay-Z and Beyoncé, where she is seen wearing a whopping 128.54-carat yellow diamond necklace, with a rarely seen Jean- Michel Basquiat painting “Equals Pi” at the backdrop, says a lot for luxury brands wanting to capitalise on the market for men’s jewellery. “What influence will this have on the men’s diamond jewellery market, for example? I expect to see an increase in demand for men’s engagement rings as a direct result of this campaign,” adds Perez.
Amidst millennials and the Gen-Z folks, the traditional sense of masculinity is subverted by a new idea of masculinity that makes space for ambiguity and self-expression. “We have seen an evolving conversation about gender happen globally in recent years. While it’s not always a linear conversation (different nationalities and age groups see and understand gender differently), we are happy to see that jewellery is an active part of the fashion world that is evolving along with social norms. The biggest earliest change was seen in the adoption of diamond studs by music and sports celebrities. So, this was a category adoption - a style that became unisex. More recently, we see style trends crossing gender borders, such as pearls or bracelet stacks and necklace layering. In these cases, it’s not a single style making a gender crossover but a way to wear jewelry becoming accepted as gender neutral. In general, this bodes very well for the fine jewellery industry at large,” says Andrea Hansen, Brand Consultant for Girl Up Collection, owned by Uni Creation.
Many youngsters today don’t necessarily find the need to shop for men’s or women’s jewellery. “Youngsters prefer selecting a piece of jewellery that suits their taste without worrying whether it is for men or women. Having said that, there is a large segment of the male population that would prefer a pair of cufflinks or a bold ring with a distinctive masculine design ,” says Maria Carola PICCHIOTTI, Marketing Director of PICCHIOTTI.
New York based Brilliant Stars has been involved in every aspect of the jewellery from gemstone cutting to jewellery designing and manufacturing, since 1935. So, for Brilliant Stars, the strong demand for men’s jewellery was, in fact, inevitable. “Our men’s sales have skyrocketed from 13% to 26% of our overall sales, just in the last 3 years. But this phenomenon has been many years in the making. This movement reached critical mass and things have snowballed. It always starts with companies like Brilliant Stars and the high-end circle being introduced to the beauty and exclusivity of men’s jewellery. Male celebrities are always then the first to jump on a trend and the high-end crowd follows their cue . Now we have celebrities on the runway, hip hop stars in music videos and entry level teens at the malls wearing men’s jewellery. This critical mass has created a powerful movement that is here to stay,” says Rodney Rahmani, President, Brilliant Stars.
A man who seeks to express
himself with jewellery, who
is he?
A beautifully crafted piece of jewellery
remains in the sanctum of its creator,
unperturbed by the notions of social
New York based Brilliant Stars has been involved in every aspect of the jewellery from gemstone cutting to jewellery designing and manufacturing, since 1935. So, for Brilliant Stars, the strong demand for men’s jewellery was, in fact, inevitable. “Our men’s sales have skyrocketed from 13% to 26% of our overall sales, just in the last 3 years. But this phenomenon has been many years in the making. This movement reached critical mass and things have snowballed. It always starts with companies like Brilliant Stars and the high-end circle being introduced to the beauty and exclusivity of men’s jewellery. Male celebrities are always then the first to jump on a trend and the high-end crowd follows their cue . Now we have celebrities on the runway, hip hop stars in music videos and entry level teens at the malls wearing men’s jewellery. This critical mass has created a powerful movement that is here to stay,” says Rodney Rahmani, President, Brilliant Stars.
A man who seeks to express
himself with jewellery, who
is he?
A beautifully crafted piece of jewellery
remains in the sanctum of its creator,
unperturbed by the notions of social
New York based Brilliant Stars has been involved in every aspect of the jewellery from gemstone cutting to jewellery designing and manufacturing, since 1935. So, for Brilliant Stars, the strong demand for men’s jewellery was, in fact, inevitable. “Our men’s sales have skyrocketed from 13% to 26% of our overall sales, just in the last 3 years. But this phenomenon has been many years in the making. This movement reached critical mass and things have snowballed. It always starts with companies like Brilliant Stars and the high-end circle being introduced to the beauty and exclusivity of men’s jewellery. Male celebrities are always then the first to jump on a trend and the high-end crowd follows their cue . Now we have celebrities on the runway, hip hop stars in music videos and entry level teens at the malls wearing men’s jewellery. This critical mass has created a powerful movement that is here to stay,” says Rodney Rahmani, President, Brilliant Stars.
A man who seeks to express
himself with jewellery, who
is he?
A beautifully crafted piece of jewellery
remains in the sanctum of its creator,
unperturbed by the notions of social constructs, till the time it is marketed
with labels. But with more designers like
Gucci’s Alessandra Michele blazoning
a fashion movement that is beyond
gender, jewellery is increasingly worn
purely based on its aesthetic appeal
and its ability to reflect one’s own
personal sense of style.
A strand of pearls, for instance, which has been, time and again and effortlessly, championed by style icons, celebrities, politicians, members of the royalty and an expert thrift-shopper, will always remain a timeless, classic style statement, even in the era of Harry Styles and Shawn Mendes, both of whom rocked the classic pearl necklaces at recent events. “Assael’s target audience cares about quality and is attracted to a cleaner look of accessories. The pearl strand, for example, can simply be a glow around the neck. Or it can be used as a form from which to juxtapose other forms. Pearls are a thing of natural beauty, ethically cultivated and totally earthfriendly ,” says Grosz.
According to Tracey Ellison (TheDiamondsGirl), there are two kinds of markets for gender-fluid designs. “The music industry is one big market - and there has been a boom in jewellers catering to this market. More is more here - large diamond stud earrings, icing out high-end watches, diamond chains of significant carat weights. The second market is men who always enjoyed high end luxury items, and previously invested in luxury timepieces. Now they are expanding their collections to include one-of-a-kind cufflinks and rings that will be handed down from generation to generation .”
Jewellery is a powerful tool of selfexpression, which gives the world a sneak-peak into the wearer’s life, his/ her likes, dislikes, worldviews, and more. “This customer is sensitive to the message his or her style sends about who they are. Their jewellery choices are personal statements of value and social recognition of how they see themselves. Their jewellery choices are not denominations of status but of values,” opines Hansen.
Metrosexual youngsters, who have a penchant for art, well-designed pieces and collector’s items, also happen to be the target audience for highend jewellery. Says Abram, “There are essentially two distinct target audiences for us. One is a collector who is looking to purchase an important stone as part of an ongoing affinity with rare and beautiful pieces. Another is a client who is interested in simply the aesthetic. They’re not necessarily looking to build a collection as much as find a stunning piece to wear in the moment. The two aren’t always mutually exclusive, you can be both a collector and someone who wants to buy and wear for today but the mindset of each is different. The collector often has traditional tastes and enjoys established brands with a track record of quality and high workmanship. The aesthetic buyer tends to be more trenddriven; they often have contemporary tastes but are still well-informed and appreciate pieces that hold long term style and value .”
Beyond brooches: definitive
gender-fluid design trends
With Hollywood’s blue-eyed boy,
Timothée Chalamet, making brooches
something of a cult, there has been
a rise in demand for this piece of
jewel. Observes Perez, “Vintage
pieces, diamond-set brooches, single
line diamond necklaces, pendants,
multi-stacked rings and, in the case
of French actor Nicolas Maury, there
was Boucheron high jewellery in the
form of an ear cuff and brooch. There’s
a sense of ‘subverting’ the status quo
with oversized brooches pinned to
traditional tuxedo jackets and pearl
strands hidden beneath collars.”
And it is not just about a particular kind of jewellery trending but also the way it is worn. “I believe we are only seeing the beginning of the brooch revival in both men’s and women’s jewellery right now. When they do appear on the red carpet (something that is becoming increasingly frequent), we tend to see them in their ‘traditional’ place on the lapel of a jacket. However, even this is being challenged by the best-dressed men. For example, in a recent promotional video, the South Korean actor, Lee Jung-jae, who is now recognised globally for his role in Squid Game (Netflix), was dressed in a sharp suit wearing numerous gemset brooches near the shoulder and on the lower chest . Elsewhere, Timothée
Ellison believes that trends vary from one market to the other. However, she points out that iced out Cuban link chains (necklaces and bracelets) remain in demand, and she is also witnessing an increasing demand for customized pieces, especially rings that are bespoke items.
There is a sense of fluidity and abstractness even in the way jewellery is worn – mixing of different materials, styles, lengths and shapes is becoming common. “Earrings are not restricted to just studs but longer statement pieces as well. The mismatched earring trend from the runways in 2019 is now evident in how men and women wear earrings without the rigidity of a standard pair. When it comes to bracelets, we are seeing a lot of layering, and mixing of materials such as beads, fabrics, leather, and metals. With necklaces, combining different lengths, and the use of hardware inspired components to link and connect pieces is definitely popular,” says Hansen.
The demand for one-of-a-kind pieces with rare gemstones is also on the rise. “Most men who are jewellery wearers are also watch collectors and they tend to want to wear these pieces together. Oftentimes, the jewels match or certainly complement their timepiece. We’re definitely seeing a marked shift towards yellow diamonds, particularly in pieces such as contemporary rings worn on the ring finger. Unisex white diamond bangle cuffs are also in vogue. We’ve always had a strong interest in our extensive cufflink collection, as they’re beautifully handcrafted and really represent the individual tastes of our clients,” adds Abram.
Brilliant Star’s men’s pieces are mostly designed in matte finish 18k white gold or platinum. “Not only does the matte finish allow the gem to stand out, but the jewel looks “worn in,” comfortable and masculine. Men love that and tell me that they can wear high-end pieces every day when it looks casual enough, and when the gemstone is exotic enough not to get the unwanted attention of everyone they bump into. Also, men desire durability and comfort. They are generally rougher on their jewellery and don’t want to fuss with a piece that is not comfortable,” he says.
So, is ‘men’s collection’ the
way to go?
Perez believes that it would be
counterintuitive for brands to focus on
men’s collection. “What we can see
from current trends in the market is
that jewels that were likely designed for
women are being worn by men. I will
point you to the likes of Boucheron that
has demonstrated an enviable ability to
create high jewels with stylish potential
for men and women, with advertising
images that show pieces worn with
equal panache by both genders. More
energy needs to be placed, therefore,
into designing collections with fluidity
and a non-conformist attitude that
can be enjoyed by all. When pieces
are specifically for men, for example
the Charles Tiffany Setting men’s
engagement ring by Tiffany & Co., it is
more powerfully done as a standalone –
an icon of sorts – that takes on its own
legend. I expect more brands to debut
or revive ‘iconic’ men’s engagement
ring designs in the coming months,”
she adds.
Grosz agrees, “The walls that kept male and female rigidly within the abovementioned boxes have come down. They are not going back up again.”
In more mature markets like the U.S. and Europe, youngsters don’t want to be put in brackets. And Asia, India in particular, is not too far away. Hansen urges jewellers to understand that the definition of precious, semi-precious, fashion, fine, demi-fine are industry created terms that help with inventory allocation. “Today’s customer refuses to be ‘boxed in’ by labels. As retailers and merchandisers, we need to build stores and websites that allow customers to cross-shop, based on lifestyle choices. They should be able to find options and shop based on how they want to wear those pieces, and not how manufacturers and inventory managers categorize commodities ,” she says. But if you want to have clearly defined categories, it is important to understand what goes into diversifying into an allnew market. “It would normally take several years to become well-known in a particular sector like men’s jewellery. Our first collection was introduced 25 years ago. But it is never too late to enter this market. We feel it is less competitive but requires a company to refocus their marketing, presentation, and, obviously, designs, to cater to gentlemen. The most challenging obstacle is capital for inventory and acquiring appropriate gemstones. We find that gentlemen are especially selective and will only make purchases from companies that they see as serious players in the men’s sphere. Without a respectful amount of inventory to show, such efforts won’t be successful,” warns Rahmani
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