FEATURE
MALE JEWELLERY
Male Jewellery
The state of the market
With more men wearing rings, bracelets and even necklaces than ever before, LEWIS CATCHPOLE
hears about the current state of the male jewellery market and asks if it could ever compete with the size
of the traditional women’s jewellery segment
James Sherwood
30 JEWELLERY FOCUS
Will Smith, Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Skarsgard
and Lucky Blue Smith - and serve as role models and
encouragement for men to think about wearing fine
jewellery,” says Sherwood.
“Will Smith started wearing double diamond
earrings a couple of decades ago and now nobody
would look twice at a guy wearing gem-set ear studs
whether they are diamond or synthetic. The historic
high jewellery houses have seen the demand for men’s
jewellery [increase] and you’ll notice that the offer
for men on the websites of Cartier, Tiffany & Co,
Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron has significantly
increased from just wedding bands and cufflinks.”
Men wearing double diamond earings and fine
jewellery are not the only indicators of the growth
over the years in the market, however. Chana Baram,
a retail analyst at Mintel points towards the growth
of interest in male fashion jewellery, with sales having
doubled over the past two years.
She says: “We are seeing a growing trend towards
men taking more care of their look and appearance,
which has translated into more male interest in
several fashion categories, such as bags and footwear
and jewellery. Similarly, while fewer women are
purchasing fashion/costume jewellery, we have seen
a significant rise in young men buying this category.”
She says some 18% of men aged 16-34-years-old
bought costume jewellery in the 12 months leading
up to October 2017, compared with just 9% in the
same period in 2015.
The current state of the market
Baram says data currently points to a significant
increase of activity focused online and specifically
aimed towards the men’s market. “Currently men are
more likely than women to look at social media for
jewellery inspiration, at 40% compared to only 31%
of women. Men are looking towards stylish celebrities
for inspiration, with people frequently photographed
wearing fashion jewellery such as bracelets, rings and
long necklaces. We have certainly noticed a trend in
‘‘
Men are now
wearing
brooches,
necklaces,
rings,
bracelets as
everyday
wear as they
strive for
various ways
to express
themselves in
a modern age
‘‘
“You only have to look at the ubiquity of tattoos
to understand how much men want to express their
personality and individuality. Men’s jewellery is
like a tattoo that can be taken off at the end of the
day. Jewellery is a way of speaking before you do. It
communicates individuality but also non-conformity,”
says men’s style aficionado and author of upcoming
book ‘Jewelry for Gentlemen’, James Sherwood.
Men’s jewellery has dipped and soared in popularity
since the very beginning of fashion history, but the
past few years has seen a new peak for the popularity
of male jewellery. Men are now wearing brooches,
necklaces, rings, bracelets as everyday wear as they
strive for various ways to express themselves in a
modern age.
Henry Graham, creative director and co-
founder of Wolf & Badger sees the development of
men’s jewellery as a filtering-down process led by
jewellery’s presence in pop culture. He says: “These
changes have been influenced by pop culture, which
has in turn filtered to the catwalk and then by
extension to the high-street and big name stores.”
Data from market research company Mintel shows that
over the past five years 48% of men purchased rings
for themselves, 32% purchased bracelets/bangles for
themselves, 47% purchased necklaces for themselves.
“Men of all ages in the public eye are unafraid to wear
significant pieces of jewellery - I’m thinking about
August 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk