Page 64 - Sharp September 2023

THE
GOLDEN
ERA
HOW CHANGING TIMES GAVE RISE TO A NEW GILDED AGE OF MEN’S JEWELLERY
By Marc Richardson
IT’S HARD TO PINPOINT EXACTLY WHEN IT STARTED, BUT
in recent years there’s been a shift in the way men approach jewellery. In the past, men’s jewellery was a relatively barren field, dominated by watches (which, strictly speaking, form a category of their own), simple wedding bands, and occasionally cufflinks. “I clearly remember a time when the majority of my male clients were really only coming for wedding bands,” recalls Joel Muller, a Montreal-based independent jeweller. “More often than not, they even felt uncomfortable in the process because they weren’t used to wearing jewellery — or felt like it was something they couldn’t pull off.”
Eventually, some younger men began sporting earrings, while others of all ages were wearing necklaces they kept tucked under a layer or two of clothing. In the ‘90s, ‘00s, and early 2010s, we witnessed an era of boisterous bling ushered in by the likes of Ben Baller and Jacob the Jeweller, and worn with braggadocio by athletes and rappers. Think the backdrop for Uncut Gems.
And recently, the men’s jewellery scene has started to take on a new shape, where dainty and daring coexist, and where more men are experimenting with their jewellery. “In the last few years, women have undoubtedly taken up a more prominent role in society,”
says Valérie Messika, founder of the high-end jewellery brand that bears her name. “The dynamic between men and women has been rebalanced in many ways, and men have been able to accept certain aspects of themselves that were considered more feminine in the past.”
The most telling shift came at the turn of this decade, when the internet was set alight — first by Harry Styles’ pearl necklaces, then by the small gold chain Paul Mescal wore in the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
Around the same time, Los Angeles-based Chrome Hearts, a once-niche purveyor of hard-to-come-by neo-Gothic hardware, enjoyed a surge in popularity and recognition. Frank Ocean even dipped into the jewellery world when he founded his own brand, Homer, in 2021. More recently — and perhaps more tellingly — well-established, high-end jewellers including Tiffany & Co. and Messika have launched dedicated men’s lines and tapped their first male ambassadors in BTS’s Jimin and supermodel Alton Mason, respectively. Even smaller, independent craftspeople and local brands, such as Muller in Montreal or Toronto’s Boyd Court, are enjoying men’s newfound affinity for jewellery.
“I think men are getting more confident in displaying their personal style,” says Taylor Hill, who founded Boyd Court in 2018 after retiring from the music industry. “They are incorporating more items into their daily wear that might have previously been reserved for special occasions — jewellery being at the forefront.” Hill cites the rise of social media as a factor that has helped popularize jewellery for men. “We’re seeing more and more people showcasing their style and jewellery daily, which used to mainly be seen on the
64 SEPTEMBER 2023
SHARPMAGAZINE.COM
STYLE
VONTAGE SIGNET BY BOYD COURT: IMAGE COURTESY OF BOYD COURT. JIMIN IN TIFFANY & CO.: IMAGE COURTESY OF
TIFFANY & CO. ALTON MASON IN MESSIKA MOVE LINK COLLECTION: PHOTOGRAPHY BY © CHRIS COLLS.