The marketing niche for men's jewelry has been fairly small and it only achieved a small boost when it got the name ?Bling? form the Hip Hop scene, but that is still just a minimal addition. It may never compare to the size of the female jewelry market, but it is still a force to reckon with none the less.

In History

Men's jewelry in history was used as a sign of power, wealth and status in the society. It started from the primitive stones that were strung by prehistoric men in order to make a necklace and now we see more elaborate and finely crafted sets. These items adorned the heads, ears, neck, wrists, ankles and fingers of both kings and common men. They often were worn for their aesthetic value, but sometimes they were made for a purpose: like the sealing rings of great ancient civilizations and other European countries throughout history. They also managed to find use in the art of warfare, with adornments that denoted ranking to dog tags that were used to identify each individual. At present, men's jewelry has still preserved its aesthetic and functional value ? the sealing ring may not be used as much anymore, but the military still uses these items in their daily activities.

A Subtle Nature

Not until the appearance of ?bling-bling? (which was immediately replaced by ?bling?) did the modern world see a more showy take on men's jewelry. Other than princes and kings (and they do not even wear their crowns everyday), it seemed taboo for men to wear pieces that were as elaborately created as women's jewelry. It seems that by the start of the Victorian era, men's jewelry has started to adapt a more subtle style. Gone were the elaborate golden plates worn by Egyptian Pharaohs around their necks. No longer did we see gem encrusted shoulder links, as they were worn by the Tudors in England. No, it has all been replaced by subtle touches.

Apart from a few, it seemed that men have reduced their jewelry use to rings, cufflinks, and a few pins to nothing at all. But this subtlety doesn't mean that the niche for men's jewelry is on the brink of extinction. No, of course not! That niche has been constant throughout the years and now, they are starting to get men to be a little bit bolder and wear a little more jewelry than they used to. The steps taken maybe subtle, but is still relevant and will continue to be and will undoubtedly help the industry stay afloat and sometimes even grow.

The Future for Men's Jewelry

Whether we like to admit it or not, the hard fact is that everything in clothing and accessories, even the looks of cars and techie items are dictated by the gods of fashion. The same goes for the style of men's jewelry. It is without a doubt that style sensibilities will change in the future. Who knows, maybe one high end designer will send a male model down the runway with chunky jewelry around his neck and it will be applauded. It will then manage to filter down to lower markets and soon more men will be brave enough to wear loud jewelry.