Men’s Jewellery: How to Style Rings, Chains & Pendants with Confidence”
Men’s jewellery usually means a wristwatch (expensive or not, it doesn’t make much of a difference), a signet ring, and a quiet hope that no one clocked either.
Here it comes Vivienne Westwood: the British designer wandered in with a grin, ready to revolutionize such a tiresome attitude towards men’s jewellery.
After Westwood’s intervention, everything changed. A pendant can finally make a suit sit straighter, one of the rings of her latest collection can turn a handshake into punctuation of our pace and style, and a chain could lend a cotton T-shirt the posture of something more important. The dial shifted from meaningless to meaningful.
The old tale about jewellery being too much for men always sounded provincial and a good excuse for several brands to skip the matter altogether. Not for Vivienne Westwood though, as she solved the anxiety by ignoring the false choice between monkish minimalism and theatrical extravaganza.
As for what made the difference, there is no single answer: finishes definitely have tact, motifs arrive with wit rather than winks, and each of the items is built to be lived with. Not without a homage to “livable items”: good metal should look as if it has been somewhere with you, not as if it has been kept under glass.
Moving your first steps into the world of men’s jewellery
If this is your first time in this marvellous universe, start with a pendant on a mid-drop.
Are you good to go? Now add a ring that shows up without exaggerations. It’s a matter of equilibrium and measure and the test is quite practical: can you sign your name and send an important email while wearing it? If the pen (or the keyboard) fights the band, choose a slimmer one.
You are liking it, aren’t you? Then try an asymmetric earring, or a compact chain under an open collar, or a bracelet that sits against a watch. Keep the gestures deliberate, keep the proportions under control. Be yourself and don’t care too much about rules, as the ones written by the ones of the past rarely fits our attitude.
If you still need some rules to move your first steps, start caring about the part of the day. Morning prefers brushed metals, smaller surfaces. Evening can also tolerate a touch more gleam.
A matter of space
Place decides tone. In your office, treat a pendant like a good headline. Short, pointed, never exaggerating. Your items should sit steady beneath a neat button line, revealing themselves when you move rather than preaching through cotton.
At the bar, length can drop by a notch because the suit has exhaled, and the room is softer. At weddings or special occasions, remember that the photographs will outlive the actual fashion. Try to choose something that will not date faster than the cake.
Proportion is the true hidden art. Broad hands welcome wider bands. Fine hands prefer a narrower profile. It’s not complicated at all, just look at yourself sincerely.
Strong jawlines can carry a bolder earring. Softer features ask for some kind of restraint. If your frames are bold and your hair precise, curves in the jewellery items bring balance. If your clothes are loose and your tailoring relaxed, angles will keep the line assertive.
Think of jewellery as grammar for the body. Subject, object, and so on. Once you hear the rhythm, fluency follows. Poetry made of the right items.
