His Time To Shine

2024 is the year men’s jewellery is shown off for what it ought to be bold, brilliant and tastefully transgressive.

- MINDY TEH

Men's jewellery is back in a big way. Where recent years have seen males flaunting little more than the obligatory timepiece with next to no jewellery, 2024 looks set to re-establish men's jewellery as it was in disco's heyday and during the New Wave and hip-hop vibes of the '80s before it hit the mainstream - that is to say, loud, proud and appropriately transgressive.

Of course, the trend for a bolder suite of men's ornamentation has been around since the cut of the first gem. Look no further than Chinese emperors, Indian maharajas, Mayan kings and Egyptian pharaohs for sheer opulence and volume of the pieces, from jade brooches to bejewelled headdresses, crowns and necklaces.

In Mesopotamia, chunky gold necklaces, ankle bracelets and rings studded with precious stones adorned the privileged and wealthy, who wore the pieces to ward off evil or protect them in battle. High-ranking Mayan officials were the only ones allowed to wear precious metal lip and nose plugs.

And it was in ancient Egypt where the first signet rings were recorded to officiate letters and documents. The accessory was quickly adopted by the Romans.

The Renaissance and Baroque eras expanded the range of jewellery for men to include brooches and earrings, carefully crafted with intricate designs and gemstones.

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On a more contemporary note, Cartier's largest, most expensive single commission was for a man, the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, in 1928. This was a platinum necklace created with a gobsmacking 2,930 diamonds including a 234.69 carat cushion-cut pale-yellow diamond, as well as Burmese rubies. In fact, the era saw men's jewellery designs bolstered by the Art Deco sensibilities of the time.