OK. What do you think about men wearing jewellery? Generally.

Men wearing jewellery: Terry sporting a large grey pin to complement his lovely jacket.

This is Terry sporting a statement pin to complement his gorgeous jacket. We think he looks stunning.

We also loved that Shaun Leane, one of the two judges for ‘All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewellery Star’, wore different pieces of his own designed collection at each session. The earrings that he wore are so much more interesting, imaginative and distinctive than much of jewellery advertised for men. I would expect this of Shaun Leane as a designer who has worked with Alexander McQueen – but his jewellery is very discreet compared to Terry’s pin.

Are more men wearing jewellery?

This quote is from a BBC article in 2019: ‘In recent years, the codes governing masculinity have been loosening up, and with this the traditional lines between masculine and feminine fashion are blurring. Although jewellery is conventionally a female domain, we’re now seeing men experimenting with it more than ever before.’ https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190924-why-more-men-are-wearing-jewellery.

This article includes a great pic of Chadwick Boseman wearing not one but three diamond encrusted Tiffany & Co brooches. He can comfortably be a ‘free-wheeling trend setter’ as his masculinity is not threatened in any way.

Looking further into the topic of ‘men wearing jewellery’, in his video Tim Dessaint talks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc_W7FTEngU) about having an edgy style and ranking ones-self between 1 and 10. I consider his suggestions pretty conservative, even taking account of his pearl necklace (very Margaret Thatcher). I’d put him in the edgy range of just 3 to 5, Shaun about 6-7, and Terry and Iyke at 8!

The BBC article mentioned above goes on to quote Harriet Scott and David Mills of the Goldsmiths’ Company who say that men are looking for more and “higher quality precious pieces  …. And they expected then in 2019 the men’s jewellery market to expand for the foreseeable future.

To rank high on ‘edgy style’ there is no need to bust your budget because you can find exciting jewellery in non-precious materials that are well designed and sophisticated.

Has lockdown scuppered this cultural shift or accelerated it? Will lifting restrictions release men’s inner maverick and we see more flamboyant and expressive art jewellery complementing more casual and laid-back attire? Hope so. Will men still wear cuff-links, the dominant jewellery type advertised as men’s jewellery? Look forward to decent thoughtful comments which you can add below. (Spam will be deleted).

Here’s a short video of men trying out more adventurous jewellery. Be inspired and go for it!