Leading the Way in Luxury Jewelry Fashions? Millennial Males
Until lately, when the words luxury jewelry entered conversation, it generally referred to women’s jewelry and women’s jewelry alone.
Men might perhaps have been involved in the purchase of luxury jewelry for their wives and girlfriends. But their participation in its wearing was especially uncommon.
Today, things are changing.
Luxury men’s jewelry is making a comeback.
A Case for Male Preening
Preening can be defined as “devoting effort to making oneself look attractive, then priding oneself on their own appearance.”
In the human species, women notoriously preen themselves much more than men. But it’s not so clear cut with other species in the animal kingdom — especially birds. Not only are male birds easier to identify in general, but they’re overall more colorful and ornamented than females.
Why? Charles Darwin posited that female birds preferred the bright, beautiful colors of males when looking for a partner to mate with. If a female wasn’t impressed with what she saw, it was “on to the next!” until she found a bloke who truly captivated her attention with his wild and stunning display of feathers.
In the human world, for thousands of years, it was just the opposite. Traditionally, in most situations and most cultures, men would “choose” their female partners based on looks. Of course, women had their say in some capacities, but you wouldn’t deny the one-sided nature of male to female courtship. After all, “coming out parties” certainly weren’t for women. These gatherings were displays of female beauty for the entire community of eligible bachelors to see.
So, is it still like this today?
The general consensus is no.
Over time, the tides have changed so that today, more than ever, women are perusing and choosing men. And as a result — especially in the last half century — men have begun stepping up their game in the fashion department.
Still, clothes, shoes, and dapper hats can only go so far. And thus, men’s luxury bracelets, rings, and necklaces are now making a huge comeback.
Men’s Luxury Jewelry: A Brief History
Truth be told, the act of adorning the body with luxurious metals and other ornaments is ancient. And pieces were worn by both men and women.
Products of nature generally started the trend as far as archaeologists can see. Leaves, shells, flowers, stones, and bones were worn on prehistoric men as far back as 80,000 years. Later, these same items adorned the bodes of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Even Jesus was said to have worn a crown of thorns, although it certainly wasn’t for beauty.
Metal jewelry came into play during the Bronze Age and Iron Age. The Celts, in particular, wore intricate pieces like necklaces, bracelets, and other crowns and pendant-like designs — mostly made of copper, gold, iron, bronze, and silver.
Later in the Middle Ages, large collars, necklaces, and headpieces became commonplace among rural tribes while the women and men in larger, more urban civilizations such as the Arab and Byzantine Empires commonly wore pins, belts, buckles, rings, brooches, and collars to show their superiority and wealth.
Leading up to the 17th and 18th centuries and onward, the male upper crust continued to wear a few dazzling jewelry pieces in various forms. Timepieces on men became the norm, as did tie pins and cufflinks. But slowly, men began to wear jewelry less and less, until in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was only rappers or the occasional male artist who adorned himself with luxury men’s rings or necklaces.
Bejeweled Renaissance: Luxury Designer Men’s Jewelry Is in the Limelight
Again, this brings us to today and to a large shift in the prevalence of luxury men’s designer necklaces, bracelets, rings, and more — especially among millennials.
There’s even research to back up this claim.
Studies show — as we know — that men have become more interested in their image over all. They’re hitting the gym for a trim and fit body, following fashion trends coming out of Milan and Paris, and spending more time grooming themselves. To the world at large, this has become much more acceptable than it was, say, in the 1930s — or even the 1960s.
This more accepting avenue of society has also ushered in a brand-new generation of males: millennials. Unlike past generations, millennial males are completely okay with things that used to be “taboo.” Mixed-race relationships and same-sex marriage are just a few.
These men are thusly more comfortable taking care of themselves in a more feminine way. Of course, men wearing jewelry isn’t about being feminine. But it is about caring about your appearance and spending time, money, and energy on it. Luxury jewelry is where the focus is turning.
In a recently released report by Noise/The Intelligence Group, it was found that 34 percent of men aged 14 to 34, would be willing to spend a significant amount of money on men’s luxury accessories like bracelets or necklaces. Studies reflect that these numbers are rising too.
In other words, men’s jewelry is in.
Purchasing Luxury Designer Men’s Jewelry
Men of today who are interested in perusing the latest men’s jewelry and trying a few pieces for themselves must turn to a jewelry manufacturer with experience and expertise in the art of creating well-made, long-lasting, and truly unique pieces.
No other jewelry manufacturer in the world can match Sauro in these capacities.
Based in Italy, but with stores in various parts of the world, Sauro employs some of the best and most innovative jewelry designers alive today. Their hand-crafted pieces are created using elite manufacturing practices that last and endure so that their bracelets, necklaces, and rings will grow even more beautiful with age.
In their more than 30 years in the industry, Sauro Jewelry has created numerous collections of men’s jewelry that easily surpass the competition. To shop their current available pieces and to read more about the company’s history, head to the Sauro Jewelry website.