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“In all honesty, I think it is filtering, not yet fully filtered!” says British jewellery designer Hannah Martin, whose designs transcend gender binaries. “I agree it has been on the cusp of being something for some time now, and it is definitely much more a ‘thing’ than it was, say five years ago even. It’s a slow and steady movement. The way I see it is that it is still not, as yet, the norm, it is not universal, but it is a very widespread trend that is not going away and will only continue to grow.” Martin is right about the growth. According to Euromonitor, the global value of the men's luxury jewellery market reached around $7.3 billion (£5.8 billion) in 2023 – an annual increase of 7.3%, which is an improvement on the 4.6% growth happening in the women’s market. And there’s more good news as the men’s jewellery sector is expected to grow by 8.4% from 2024 to 2032.
Aside from the red carpet, other cultural moments have acted as signifiers that men’s jewellery is becoming more popular and also acceptable to wear. In 2023, Sotheby’s New York staged its first selling exhibition dedicated to the evolution of men’s jewellery over the past 100 years showcasing antique and vintage designs from the likes of Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Tiffany, and Verdura, alongside contemporary pieces from designers such as Shaun Leane, David Yurman and Johnny Nelson.
It serves as a reminder that men weren’t always so bijoux biased. Decoration was almost mandatory until a moment termed as “The Great Male Renunciation” . The phrase was coined by British experimental psychologist and psychoanalyst John Flügel in 1930 and referred to a period at the end of the 18th century when wealthy Western men stopped using bright colours and elaborate shapes in their dress and instead concentrated on minute differences in cut and the quality of fabric used.
Inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment – the intellectual and philosophical movement that took place in Europe in the 17th and 18th century with an emphasis on reason and science over faith and superstition – and influenced by the French Revolution, where extravagant dress was a sign of aristocratic status, it fostered the idea that men were rational and women frivolous and therefore their dress should reflect this. What followed – two world wars, the rise of the industrial age, and a conservative corporate culture where the only piece of “jewellery” deemed acceptable was a luxury watch – and men’s taste for wearing jewellery vanished. There’s a reason the Sotheby’s exhibition started in the mid-19th century – because men had got out of the habit of adorning themselves.
So, what are men interested in now? The short answer is “everything”. Brooches have definitely shed their “tweed and twinset” image and now no lapel seems to be without one. Pearls have become de rigeur thanks, in no small part, to Harry Styles, who graced the 2019 Met Gala red carpet wearing one on a dop earring with a see-through chiffon Gucci blouse. David Yurman’s high jewellery for men may go big on the diamonds but its shapes, especially, in the Deco collection are all muscular angles and hard geometry, while Louis Vuitton’s Les Gastons line features the requisite dog tags and monogrammed pendants.
“Necklaces are the top performing jewellery style at Mr Porter, driven by thicker chains, solid shorter-length necklaces, pendants, and mixed-metal styles with brands such as David Yurman, Alex Moss New York, and Greg Yuna among our bestsellers,” says George Archer, a man very much au fait with men’s shopping habits being, as he is, the buying manager for the luxury style portal. “We have seen searches for gold chains increase by 692% in the last six months alongside silver chains at 103%. Stacking and layering remains a key trend, mixing different stones, simple chains, and metals together.
“Bracelets continue to be popular with searches for gold bracelets increasing by 122% in the last six months,” he continues. “Driven by Kolours Jewelry, tennis bracelets also remain a key style. US brand Hoorsenbuh’s contemporary approach to fine jewellery is performing well, particularly the brand’s classic link chain. Signet rings remain our best-selling ring style, and the fine-jewellery edit from 42 Sunshas become one of our top performers with our customer’s leaning into colourful diamonds and statement jewellery that also feels timeless. We’re also seeing growing demand for earrings; they are the perfect category and price point for first-time jewellery customers.”
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Martin has always had a fluid attitude to design, something she thinks has helped her popularity with men. “The aesthetic is definitely a big part of it, and [my jewellery] appeals to men in ways that something more, say, flower-based does not,” she says. “I think seeing pieces shot on men, as well as women helps too, to be able to see how the pieces work as non-gendered. It’s a doorway in for some men. But in many ways my aesthetic comes from the fact that I have always considered the jewellery as non-gendered. I have never designed for a specific gender, so it lends itself to a design aesthetic, and a brand aesthetic and language.”
This is something Archer agrees with. “A more fluid approach to masculinity over the past few years has also helped change perceptions of how men look at jewellery,” he says. “We’ve seen a clear shift, with the everyday man becoming much more open and confident in accessorising and expressing themselves.” Looks like the answer to the question “are men ready for real jewellery?” is a resounding “yes”.
