Men who are not told they are allowed to accessorize, those who are not encouraged to do so, or those who simply have no experience with men's accessories in men's jewelry, sometimes don't know where to start.

Throughout history jewelry has been a tool for embellishing individuals. Ancient tribes and cultures have used ornamentation and jewelry for festivities, religious events, and the simple means of personalizing one's appearance. And yet no matter how popular or common such accessories have been throughout history for men and women, men today are shying away.

Marketing and advertising throughout the decades has turned jewelry into something presumably meant just for women, marketing jewelry as something a man buys for his woman. This has done a lot to inhibit men who would otherwise try to accessorize for themselves.

This first led to an absence of jewelry with men in mind, and a focus more on jewelry that was incredibly feminine in its structure, shape, lines, and colors.

Jewelry is meant to express style, to compliment outfits and bring to the table that uniqueness in an individual. Some men simply lack the confidence to exercise the integration of jewelry and other accessories because of the social problem where-in people categorize jewelry as masculine or feminine. When jewelry gets divided like this, when accessories are said to be feminine or for females, it makes men hesitate to wear them.

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In order to combat the absence of accessories and jewelry for men, Jewelers are working hard to do away with this, to offer beautiful pieces that are not identified as female specific but rather those that integrate gemstones, utilize geometric plans, sharp lines, and are simply stunning accessories for men and women alike.

Helping to encourage men to accessorize more, there are many celebrities and actors out there who have started to set trends when it comes to men's accessories and jewelry.  In fact, hip hop culture opened the doors to more flamboyant accessories that had nothing to do with politics or gender and instead simply corresponded to masculinity and wealth like wearing heavy gold chains or gold bracelets, earrings, rings, and medallions.

Actors

Johnny Depp for example is never seen without a multitude of personalized bracelets, rings, necklaces, and other such men's jewelry. Robert Downing Jr. is yet another actor who is always seem with a range of personalized men’s jewelry. Randy Jackson has a wide collection of colorful rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, all of which work together to punctuate the stunning ensembles in which he is regularly featured.

Athletes 

Athletes are known for men's accessories, like Michael Strahan who set the record for having the highest number of sacks in the NFL when he was working with the New York Giants and he regularly Sports a collection of men's bracelets and rings that accent his clothing.

Musicians

The musician Zac Brown has a range of skull bracelets and Raven necklaces that speak to his confidence in his lifestyle. Similarly, Perry Farrell brings the intensity of his rock music to his range of masculine accessories. Lenny Kravitz has a collection of rings and necklaces that beautifully complement the outfits he puts together.

What do all of these people have in common? They are not afraid to accessorize whether it's something small or big, one piece or several pieces, in a way that speaks to who they are as a person, what their personality is like, what their lifestyle is all about.

As more and more celebrities are focused on accessorizing, people are starting to notice that men's jewelry is a growing trend and there are a lot of reasons why men should accessorize more than they do.

Many jewelers have noticed significant growth when it comes to men's jewelry over the last 10 years. It is becoming much more acceptable for the average man to wear jewelry and invest heavily in accessories.

Euromonitor noted that men's clothing and accessory markets grew 4.5% last year, a statistic that has outpaced the growth for women's jewelry and accessories which only saw 3.7%. It's predicted that men's accessories will grow another 40 billion dollars over the course of the next year.

Stores are beginning to extend the men's catalogs to include accessories and, more specifically, men's jewelry. As customer demand increases, fine jewelry offered by independent designers is becoming very acceptable and significantly more prominent among men. It's quite common to see a man boasting a three-piece suit alongside a high-end watch and a bracelet, colorful beaded bracelets to go with high-quality cufflinks when heading into work, and a lot of more subtle fine jewelry for the younger male market.

Certain parts of the world have made a name for themselves as being more daring when it comes to the trendiness of men's accessories and men's jewelry particularly in places like Japan. some Jewelers based out of London have noted that in Asian countries like South Korea and Japan, men will not only invest in a wide range of men's jewelry but they are completely comfortable buying jewelry initially intended for women if the design appeals to them.

In Russia, where men might be more conservative, they still spend the most when it comes to custom made accessories. In spite of a heavily macho culture, bespoke bejeweled accessories are becoming increasingly common.

Different cultures have accepted men's accessories as a key part of everyday ensembles faster than others. For example, in India, appreciation for men's jewelry is deeply embedded in their culture. Maharaja's and Mughals wore more jewelry than their female counterparts including cufflinks, rings, and bracelets. Maintaining that confidence, Indian males today head into the market for headpieces, bracelets, necklaces, and cufflinks that are displayed right alongside women's jewelry.

Throughout Europe, men are more confident when it comes to purchasing jewelry than American men. Some of the same historical and cultural trends are seen in other parts of the world. In places like the UK, Sir Walter Raleigh has 16th century portraits where he is wearing pearls that dangle from his ears and his clothes. Henry the 8th, the most famous Tudor Monarch has very famous portraits where he is also wearing a collection of jewels, pearls, and gold to accessorize his outfit.

However, while places in Europe and Asia may have enjoyed exposure to men's accessories for hundreds if not thousands of years, America is much younger and as a result never really had the opportunity to witness a beautiful and extensive rich history of men's accessories in men's jewelry worn by royalty or nobility because there simply hasn't been royalty or nobility in America's history.

From the 1970s onward, men could get away with a watch and maybe a wedding band but very little else in America due in large part to the social application of stigmas on certain subcultures like the idea that one earring worn by a man in one of his ears meant that he was gay whereas on the other ear meant that he was straight. So many complicated and absurd stereotypes inhibiting the growth of men's jewelry and men's accessories for a few decades and have still left their mark today.

• In America, 77% of men know that they need a makeover when it comes to their wardrobe and their accessories.
• Three out of four men feel that they are underdressed a lot of the time and they don't have the confidence to accessorize and look and feel her best.
• 42% of men say that they would dress better if they simply knew how.

However, that lack of confidence is starting to change, especially as men are realizing how quickly the stigma toward men's accessories is being replaced with women admitting how much they like it and workplace is showing favoritism towards those who use it.

Removing the Negative Stigma Toward Men’s Accessories and Men’s Jewelry

No matter where in the world, men's jewelry and accessories are taking on a bold book, removing the negative stigma that might have existed in certain areas. It's becoming increasingly common for men to use their accessories and jewelry to make a statement in much the same way women do. Men's jewelry be it belt buckles, dog tags, bracelets, necklaces, or rings are increasingly serving as a way to connect an entire ensemble and present some aspect of individualism or personality to the world.

With men's jewelry, it's not really about finding a specific trend but more so about creating individual style.

Women’s Role in Men’s Accessories

Helping to remove the negative stigma toward men's jewelry is the fact that new studies are showing women like when men accessorize.

Research has shown that when men are well-dressed, when they have accessories that compliment their outfit, and when they walk around with confidence in their ensemble, they are viewed as more successful, smarter, and sexier by women and men alike.

• 91% of Americans believe that a man who dresses well and accessorizes as well, is more physically attractive than he would be without men's accessories.
• 64% of women are more likely to marry a man who is confident about utilizing men's accessories and dressing well.
• 78% of women think the most attractive thing a man can do is dress and accessorize well.
• In fact, 85% of women think that dressing and accessorizing well is more attractive than having a lot of money.
• 80% of women would give up something they currently have in their lives like regular use of their cell phone or going out if it meant having a partner who was better dressed and knew how to accessorize.

How Men’s Accessories Help in the Office

These benefits aren't just seen when it comes to attracting a partner. Men should accessorize more because of the benefits in the workplace as well.

• 75% of Americans think that a man who accessorizes as is more successful in his job.
• 22% of men believe that they are able to earn more money by dressing better and using more accessories.

The Role of Lifestyle in Men’s Accessories

Confidence is crucial. High-quality gemstones when worn discreetly and not overdone can be a conversation starter at a party, can help complement the confidence in a new ensemble. Jewelry should be cool, comfortable, give people the opportunity for self-expression, give them the chance to show off their personality, boost their confidence, give them strength, or make them laugh.

Developing higher confidence goes a long way toward wearing anything well. Given how many benefits there are to better accessories, it's easy to understand why men should accessorize more.

Well-chosen accessories shouldn't be considered an afterthought but rather a main part of putting together an outfit. For men who are just starting out with accessorizing, the first investment can be something understated and minimalist, one piece of men's jewelry or one watch that looks good but doesn't draw the eye.

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Too much jewelry or too many accessories can harm a wardrobe by taking over which is why 2 or 3 accessories at any given time is a good ratio with which to begin. Modern men's accessories are incredibly versatile and today include things like lapel pins, pocket squares, scarves, colorful shoelaces, tie bars, watches, earrings, rings, bracelets, and even necklaces.

Now that negative stigmas are removed and jewelers are focusing more on providing men's accessories, men should absolutely accessorize more, adding to their ensembles the perfect finishing touch whether it comes in the form of a simple ring, a handful of gemstone bracelets, a tie clip, or all of the above. Use fashion and men's accessories to make a statement about who you are.