This has been a question for how long that whether men should wear jewelry? If no, why not? If yes, how much? This is always up for debate and men may or may not wear jewelry according to their own wish, but here is our take on it.
Men’s Jewelry in History
Earlier the rich and wealthy used to wear jewelry and it was viewed as a status symbol.
In Western culture, wearing hoops were viewed as feminine during the nineteenth century. Then toward end of twentieth century, a counter-culture rose which praised body jewelry, particularly piercings, as an identification of valor. Hip hop culture then made it in vogue and it came to be referred to as bling.
In the mid twentieth century, the jewelry business got behind promoting wedding bands. At first, this thought flew against religious sentiment and it took a very long time to change the hostility towards jewelry. Christianity and Islam discouraged men from wearing gold ornaments. Both these religions were against men wearing jewelry because of the danger of jewelry promoting arrogance in men.
Notwithstanding this solid social and religious hesitance for a man to wear any type of jewelry, the jewelry business managed to disintegrate the prevalent sentiment against jewelry for men through sheer determination. In the 1920s, just 15% of weddings supported the possibility of a man wearing a ring on his wedding. But by the 1940s,a full two decades later, 85% of weddings had even the groom wearing a wedding ring.
Today men’s jewelry is highly accepted. Men wear anything from rings to earrings and chains. Watches and cufflinks are not the only option for today’s man.
Basic Rules for Men’s Jewelry
Here are the three fundamental guidelines to wear jewelry.
- Keep it simple
If you wear a jeweled watch, white gold or silver is viewed as classy. Do not load yourself with jewelry. Wear just one item but it should be classy. Do not layer yourself with chains and earrings and bracelets.
- Use Good Taste
Most jewelry for men is metallic. You’re probably not going to see huge stones. Ideally, it should be all the same type of metal. Mixing up different metals for different ornaments is considered tacky. The most popular metals are gold, silver, chrome, copper, and bronze.
- Do not show off.
Don’t wear jewelry with the intention of showing off or as a status symbol. Wear it to add panache to your look and complement your style. If you intend to use for ostentation, it will spoil your look completely and you may end up over doing it. Keep it natural and always try to match it with your personality.
In conclusion, should men wear jewelry?
All things considered, our general public is presently sufficiently liberal to not mull over it. While certain subcultures still do not accept it, general opinion isn’t against men wearing jewelry.
While it is not completely forbidden for men to wear jewelry, they need to be more cautious than women. They are not allowed to experiment as freely as women in the name of fashion. Always wear simple and classy jewelry if you do not want to appear outlandish.