Men’s jewelry will finally be seen for what it is meant to be in 2024: bright, brilliant, and subtly provocative pieces. Given that June also happens to be Father’s Day, we use this month to focus on the men’s jewelry that is perfect for receiving or owning throughout the year. It’s his moment to shine:
Men’s jewellery is back in a big way. Where recent years have seen males flaunting little more than the obligatory timepiece with next to no jewellery, 2024 looks set to re-establish men’s jewellery as it was in disco’s heyday and during the New Wave and hip-hop vibes of the ‘80s before it hit the mainstream – that is to say, loud, proud and appropriately transgressive.
Of course, the trend for a bolder suite of men’s ornamentation has been around since the cut of the first gem. Look no further than Chinese emperors, Indian maharajas, Mayan kings and Egyptian pharaohs for sheer opulence and volume of the pieces, from jade brooches to bejewelled headdresses, crowns and necklaces.
In Mesopotamia, chunky gold necklaces, ankle bracelets and rings studded with precious stones adorned the privileged and wealthy, who wore the pieces to ward off evil or protect them in battle. High-ranking Mayan officials were the only ones allowed to wear precious metal lip and nose plugs. And it was in ancient Egypt where the first signet rings were recorded to officiate letters and documents. The accessory was quickly adopted by the Romans.
The Renaissance and Baroque eras expanded the range of jewellery for men to include brooches and earrings, carefully crafted with intricate designs and gemstones.
On a more contemporary note, Cartier’s largest, most expensive single commission was for a man, the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, in 1928. This was a platinum necklace created with a gobsmacking 2,930 diamonds including a 234.69 carat cushion cut pale-yellow diamond, as well as Burmese rubies. In fact, the era saw men’s jewellery designs bolstered by the Art Deco sensibilities of the time.
While bejewelled cocktail rings and cufflinks were the order of the day in mid-century and early ‘60s corporate circles, it was the rock gods who were, in part, responsible for men’s jewellery trends in the ‘60s right up to today. Think the likes of Keith Richards, Jim Morrison, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Jimmy Hendrix.
In the ’80s, the New Wave movement had members of Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Dave Stewart of The Eurhythmics and Phil Oakey of Human League all wearing a variety of jewellery including brooches and rings. Hip-hop’s burgeoning influence is also undeniable, with rappers like LL Cool J kickstarting the trend for oversized gold items bearing new insignias and symbols such as dollar signs and the word “Fame”. The famous gold rope chains worn by Run DMC and the diamond grills of Slick Rick and Raheem the Dream, too, cemented the codes for the hip-hop style lexicon.
Taking up the mantle are young iconoclasts who are as bold as their musical forebears. Cue A$ap Rocky, Machine Gun Kelly and Pharrell. The rapper’s willingness to experiment has taken him beyond conventional hip-hop styles, recontextualising the femininity of pearls on his knitted caps and antique Edwardian style necklaces around his neck.
Meanwhile, Machine Gun Kelly’s collaboration with Stephen Webster has borne a limited-edition collection, Gossip or “the 8th sin” according to the rock star, with a series of rings in 18K Single Mine Origin gold and sterling silver enamelled in bright, pop-rock colours and inlaid with a mother-of-pearl speech bubble and a “piercing” peeking out from the back of each ring.
The alliance between rock stars and jewellery maisons continues with the latest Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams collection. The recording artist, producer and current menswear creative director of Louis Vuitton has his inaugural tie-up with the august jeweller, inspired by Greek mythology, in particular, Poseidon’s trident. The instantly recognisable spear-shaped motif is present in the 19 pieces, including necklaces, rings, link bracelets, and drop and convertible earrings in variants that include 18K yellow gold or titanium (specially treated to achieve a deep black hue) or a combination of the two metals with pavé diamonds.
What makes the recent jewellery renaissance all the more riveting is that the trend has caught on with an esteemed crowd of actors who are unabashedly fluid in their style choices. Leading the charge is Timothée Chalamet whose sartorial androgyny is perfectly paired with his now signature single, statement necklace. Case in point, a bespoke pink, green, and blue choker of 964 emeralds, blue opals and pink tourmalines, a creation he co-designed with Cartier and wore together with a pink velvet suit at the premier of Wonka.
At the Baftas, nominee Paul Mescal wore a vintage 1930s natural diamond Cartier brooch set in platinum and white gold. He topped the look with a single yellow gold Cartier Juste un Clou earring, which is inspired by a nail and is one of the brand’s signature motifs.
Championing the current bejewelled brooch revival are stars like Michael B Jordan and Jeff Goldblum sporting Tiffany & Co’s iconic Jean Schlumberger creation, the Bird On A Rock brooch at the Oscars and the Met Gala, respectively. Jordan paired his double-breasted, satin lapelled Vuitton tuxedo with not one but two Bird On A Rock brooches. One was a 18k yellow gold and platinum with an over-32-carat pink morganite “rock” and pavé diamond bird with a pink sapphire. The other, a spectacular 18K yellow gold version with the same bird on a stunning green tourmaline “rock” of over 58 carats.
Many of the stars took advantage of the Met Gala’s flamboyance to show off a range of lavish jewels. Andrew Scott, who’s causing a stir on Netflix’s Ripley, wore a set of bee pins from Boucheron’s private collection paved with diamonds on yellow and pink gold. The pièce de résistance in his ensemble was a Boucheron Fern yellow gold necklace dating back to 1956 and his mother’s gold rings. R&B star Leon Bridges’ lapels were decorated with three arresting Ruser brooches, including a floral creation with a central ruby cabochon. On his wrists were a Van Cleef & Arpels emerald and diamond bracelet, and a sapphire and diamond Art Deco stunner from Joseph Saidan & Sons. Kieran Culkin’s colourful ensemble was matched with a Georgian amethyst Rivière necklace, an 1840s carved agate cameo and a Georgian rose-cut diamond cluster ring, all from vintage jewellery purveyor Fred Leighton.
We could go on, and jewellery houses, recognising that demand for men’s jewellery is on the rise, have been quick to pick up the trend. In January, American jeweller David Yurman debuted its first jewellery collection for men, The Vault, featuring Michael B Jordan as its frontman.
Including necklaces, bracelets, rings and cufflinks, the high-jewellery line comprises 30 pieces inspired by architecture, mythology and nature, and crafted from white and yellow gold with an array of gemstones including diamonds, tanzanite, rubies, sapphires, black opals and emeralds.
Louis Vuitton, too, has launched its first fine jewellery collection for men. Les Gastons Vuitton is an 18-piece selection that pays tribute to Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the grandson of the maison’s founder, drawing from three distinct facets of his life – his playfulness, knack for invention, and love for design and architecture.
Accordingly, the collection has three key chapters: The Creators showcases a range of dark blue titanium pieces, including a puzzle ring and pendant that can transform into a draftsman’s pencil. The Collectors highlights the house’s codes and traditional lines including signet rings, tag necklaces and link bracelets in white gold and diamonds, while The Curious hones in on the famous Vuitton trunk, featuring them in a number of pieces in white gold and diamonds.
The men who wear these pieces are assured in their masculinity, possessing the willingness to experiment and play. Those looking to dip their toes into the water can try the trend in stages, first selecting a singular piece in a more subtle style – an earring, a ring and so on – before gradually going bolder, eventually layering on other pieces. In so doing, they may just find the style liberating, even addictive, discovering a new, daring side to themselves.
(Main Image: Tiffany & Co.)
This article was first published in Prestige Singapore
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