Jewelry is to your outfit what salt is to food. None of it makes you look boring and bland, too much of it and it becomes overwhelming and you look like a clown or mobster. Many would rather not use men’s jewelry because of the belief that it’s a feminine accessory, but this is wrong.
History has revealed that kings, military officials, clerics (pope) etc, adorn themselves with jewelries as a statement of class and prestige by virtue of the position they hold. Asides this, jewelry accentuates your style, it’s a personal adornment that reflects your taste and tells a story about you.
It does more than make you look good; it symbolizes your journey, an adventure, a special moment in life or even reminds you of a time and place. It sends signals about who we are, commitments we have made and our status in the society.
I know what comes to the mind of many people when they think of jewelry is the necklace or bracelets and I can understand why, as the necklace is worn on the neck which is the focal point of the upper body, but many other functional items we wear can double as a jewelry, for example the wristwatch, eyewear, belt buckle, even your jacket buttons.
I’ll define jewelry as an accessory that is made in parts of metal or gemstones or semi-precious stones that serves as ornamentation and enhances a man’s personality, but does not necessarily define who he is.
The goal of this article is to help you distill the why, how, when and where of the use of jewelries and also to open your eyes to how you can make use of your functional pieces that double as a jewelry if you’re still pretty much skeptical about going all out.
I write this piece with the classy and stylish gentleman in mind whose goal is to send the right visual message, appear well dressed and trust worthy to most and look to stay within the bounds of socially acceptable male style.
I think I’ve exhausted the why, now let’s talk about the types as well as other aspects involved with the use of jewelries.
Come with me…
RINGS
No jewelry symbolizes a man’s status, success and wealth, class and style, beliefs as well as his affiliations better than a ring. We have wedding rings, class rings, fraternal rings, family rings, and decorative rings. Kings and emperors back in the days seal a letter with the crest of their rings as a sign of authenticity and authority, and it is passed down generations as a family heirloom to reinforce and uphold the culture and belief of a particular family.
Rings worn on any particular finger have a meaning, but that’s beyond the scope of this article…however, when it comes to the matter of aesthetics and style, there’s no iron-clad rule on how to go about it, just choose what you gravitate towards and connect with. How many to wear is a matter of the message you want to pass across. I recommend 2 on a maximum per hand and 3 altogether for the 10 fingers.
On which finger to put which is also your choice, anyone you’re comfortable and confident with is just fine. Just keep it simple, moderate, and symbolic (as a conversation starter and back story to tell about it).
NECKLACES AND PENDANTS
Whether it’s Jay-Z’s $200,000 Cuban link chain or a 2mm thin piece you got at idumota market, necklaces are about individuality, personality, occasion, taste, and style. Your concern here is the color, length, width, and the kind of cloth you want to wear it with, whether you want to fly it out or tuck it into the cloth.
For native/traditional wear, it’s best to go for a width of 1-6mm (length doesn’t matter) and tuck it in the cloth so just a small part shows around the neck. For thicker width and shorter length necklaces (a choker), they’re better off on round neck or v-neck t-shirts or dress shirts.
For longer lengths, thin or thick width, you can rock those strictly on t-shirts or a plain round neck t-shirt worn with a blazer or varsity jacket. Note that when I talk about necklaces, I don’t necessarily mean chains.
A chain is a kind of necklace, we also have leather and beaded necklaces too. As stated earlier, you go for the one that you resonate with and that best represents your personality.
Pendants are symbolic pieces that are similar to rings and you have to be deliberate with your choice. Types of pendants can include a cross, an eagle or birdlike creature, Thor’s hammer, a Viking axe, a skull, a crown etc…they all have what they mean and choose as a symbol of your personality.
I have several necklaces and pendants and I wear them based on my outfit and most importantly my mood for the day. The idea is to keep it sleek and simple and most importantly know the meaning of the pendant and how it relates to you. The layering of multiple necklaces is a growing trend now, you can do 2 or a maximum of 3 (a choker, a medium length, and a bit of a long one plus 2 pendants.
There are pictures at the end of this post) of varying thickness and length and same color.
CUFFLINKS
This is a functional piece that doubles as a piece of jewelry when done right. A cufflink is used with a double cuff dress shirt and of course used with a well-tailored native attire.
Every man should own a quality pair or two. There’s a level of class and attention to detail that comes with the use of cufflinks. The rule is to blend it with other pieces of jewelry and you’re good to go.
WRISTWATCHES
If you don’t fancy any other jewelry, fancy a wristwatch…e get why, lol. Asides from being a timepiece, a wristwatch reflects the success or wealth of a man faster than any piece of jewelry. Little wonder why celebrities, politicians, and other VIPs spend a premium on them.
The subject of wristwatches requires a different post entirely because it’s very wide. However, the 3 kinds of wristwatches a man should have are the Dress watch, Driver, and Smartwatch. The dress watches are usually those with leather straps and best paired with your shoes, belts, and bags and it’s more suited for formal wear like suits. The driver is the one with chains that come in a variety of colors and designs, these are best suited for casual and native attire.
The smartwatches are usually equipped with rubber straps and are best for casual or gym wear as well as outdoor events like beach or picnics. Size matters with wristwatches, a big wristwatch is more suited for men with thick wrists and vice versa, and make sure it grips the wrist firmly.
If you want to spend big on any jewelry, spend big on your wristwatch.
BRACELETS
These are fun pieces of jewelry, they’re mainly decorative and not necessarily functional. Though you may get a piece that has a backstory or symbolism to you.
The common types are leather bracelets, chain bracelets, and the beaded ones. For formal wear, I’d recommend you go without it or just a simple leather bracelet that blends with other leathers on you, but for informal and casual outfits, you can go all out. Just try to be consistent and consider other jewelry like your wristwatch and rings too.
The bohemian feel that beaded bracelets give is so cool especially with native attires, you can wear 3-4 at a time. Anything more than 4, you’re already borderline hippie or eccentric except of course if your style is just generally counter culture one.
BELT BUCKLES
Ever seen someone wear a belt and you just go “yuck what is this?” either the buckle is too massive or the design is just creepy. Except you’re a hip-hop artist or an entertainer, please avoid such.
Aside from the quality of the leather, the quality and design of the buckle is the most important item of a belt. In fact, nobody can even tell the quality of the leather, but the buckle is glaring for all to see.
Avoid buckles with brand logos except if your goal is to show off though, my issue with brand logos is that people can hardly tell whether it’s fake or original because most of what is being sold are either dupes or copies so it’s better to play safe.
As usual, simplicity is stylish, you can have a brown, a black and any other fun color you can wear with jeans, shorts and the likes.
LAPEL PINS/BROOCH
Originally worn by politicians, a university alumnus, and other groups of people or movements that share the same belief as an emblem of their affiliation.
But now you don’t have to belong to any club to wear a lapel pin and interestingly you don’t even have to wear it on a suit lapel. You can clip it to your native wears and shirts and they’ll serve their purpose (to accentuate and enhance an outfit).
There are very unique, symbolic, and statement pieces in different metallic colors that you can clip on your clothes. No rules are involved. You can also go a bit further by having your custom-made lapel pin maybe as your company logo or your initials.
EARRINGS
I wear earrings, though I don’t have any piercing…I use magnetic studs or clip-on ones. For me, it’s a mood and outfit thing, an indulgence, not a compulsory fashion staple. If I want to look edgy and urban, I do earrings, I basically wear them to change up my looks and not be boxed into a singular style.
Though in a culturally stoic environment like ours, men wearing earrings is still frowned upon by many, but I guess that’s the point. Sometimes, style is about being the outlier and the rebellious or the non-conformist one. Just be sure you’re confident wearing it and be ready for the side comments and backlash in some circles.
Also, your choice should be nothing flamboyant or over the top or earring with a big stone, the smaller it is, the classier and the better. I use it for both ears because I believe what is worth doing is worth doing well, lol.
So, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to do just one ear or both, no rules!
DOES COLOR MATTER?
Yes, it matters. Most men’s jewelry comes in yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, sterling silver, stainless steel, and black. Your skin tone and color of outfits have a major role to play in your choice.
Yellow gold is more suited for light-skinned guys as it naturally just blends with their color and not too sharp on them while every other color is great on dark-skinned guys as it appears warm on them against the backdrop of their dark skin with minimum contrast.
The only cardinal rule here is harmony, if you’re doing gold, make sure every other thing is in gold too.
DOES SIZE MATTER?
Yes, it matters. I’ve mentioned it before, a gentleman’s jewelry is only to enhance and add some color to his outfit, not overwhelm it. Your pieces of jewelry should be very minimalist almost like you didn’t wear any, I guess that’s where the juice is. Leave the big-ass metals and costumes for the musicians and ladies.
Let’s keep it fresh and simple.
HOW MANY SHOULD I HAVE?
Hmmm, as many as you can afford. I recommend you have at least 2 of the major colors (gold and silver) as you can interchange them with different outfits. Then as you advance in your jewelry journey, you can add more colors. At that point, your concern should be about quality and what they mean to you.
You now buy either to celebrate an achievement or an item that can be passed down to your son as an heirloom.
‘SHINE SHINE BOBO’
Lol, this phrase was used when I was much younger and it’s used to depict a good-looking man that is stylish and stands out. I am pro rewarding oneself for small and big wins because life is super short and we must leave it to the fullest and one of the ways we do that is by wearing a piece of jewelry as a reminder that we also deserve something nice. Whatever jewelry you choose, and no matter how you decide to wear it, it’s important to go for something that you truly love and will wear daily with ease.
A piece of jewelry encapsulates the journeys, adventures, and big moments of your life, taking on priceless sentimental value.
I’m sure you’ve learned a thing or two about men’s jewelry from this post. If you need more clarification or have issues on how to decide what you should go for, you can chat me up on the whatsapp link and we’ll fix that. Kindly hit the share button too.
Stay jiggy, stay blingy, and of course stay manly.
Olowe Segun
Tolulope
