A Retrospect On Men’s Jewelry By Jason Tye At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The instinct to decorate the person has been common to all people at all times. Our ancestors have found ways to decorate any part of the human body from the head with wreaths and crowns, like the Etruscans, to the toes, like Indian noblewomen.

And if you think that only women like Cleopatra went gaga over pretty shiny things, you’re sadly mistaken. During the 16th and 17th centuries, both men and women wore heavy long chains of gold, sometimes diagonally over the shoulder like a sword or belt. Some elaborate buckles were made for the waist like those used by Hungarian noblemen as jewelry. Celts were known to wear gold bracelets of plain twisted gold and Romans wore snake-shaped ones. Some Greeks, going into battle or for a nice walk to the Acropolis, sew gold repousse called bractea into their garments.

History has taught us that human adornment is not only the pure domain of the female but also of men who considered the process of wearing precious metals and stones as a sign of power and wealth.

Nowadays, media has given us the strong context that jewelry is a woman’s thing. The Academy Awards is never complete without the usual rundown of who is wearing the Harry Winston diamonds or Bulgari rubies or who is covered from head to toe with Swarovski crystals. Have you ever heard of the presenters describing men’s jewelry on the red carpet? No.

With the negative media that considers jewelry feminine, men are hard-pressed into not wearing any for fear that they might be considered less than masculine. But this is not the case. Men’s jewelry is usually crafted into designs that speaks nothing but of masculinity. Men’s jewelry, like women jewelry, comprise of rings, necklaces and bracelets.

The more popular choices for men are rings with designs including dragons, snakes or simple round bands with their loved ones name engraved on it. A whole range of precious and semi-precious stones can also be used in adorning men’s rings. Because of its simplicity and pliability, silver is well-accepted. It can be made into intricate designs and can be incorporated into other metals or made into wedding rings or class rings. White and yellow gold are also much-coveted for men’s jewelry. Precious stones like diamonds and sapphires can be integrated into the design. Semi-precious stones such as amethysts and opals are also great choices for rings.

Silver is also a popular option for making necklaces and pendants including the definitive masculine accessory called the dogtags which was originally used to identify soldiers. The dogtag has proven to be more than an ID and is now the ‘it’ thing in pendants.

The identification tags do not end in necklaces, but has also found a home in bracelets. Silver chain or ID bracelets are popular gifts given by girlfriends to their boyfriends. It is an unobtrusive piece of jewelry that, with the appropriate message can be quite a romantic present. Men’s jewelry of today is no longer the trimmings of the rich and powerful but also meant as significant accessories of the ordinary man.

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