Diamonds Are a Man’s Best Friend

Husband and wife team Serge and Caroline Muller pivoted from their careers in finance and fashion to fine jewelry, sharing their love of diamonds. In 2012, seeing a white space for men’s fine jewelry, they opened Mad Lords on Paris’s Rue St. Honoré. Today the couple’s instincts have paid off—between stores, pop-ups, and a piercing studio six locations are catering to male and female tastes—with men wearing more jewelry than ever. Only Natural Diamonds looks at these new shiny bauble shoppers to find out what makes them tick.

Speaking to OND from Mad Lords St. Tropez, Serge Muller described the male jewelry customer. “Fifty years ago, jewelry was a gift for occasions such as a wedding, birth, birthday, or a bar mitzvah,” he said. “Today, it’s less about a traditional occasion but rather, maybe you buy a piece to wear on vacation or as a host gift when getting invited on someone’s beautiful boat,” Muller commented, honing in on chic French Riviera habits. He pointed out that certain high-end clothing and accessories can cost as much as jewelry these days.

Pasquale Bruni creative director Eugenia Bruni concurs. “Jewelry doesn’t exist based on a specific occasion; jewelry is the occasion. It’s a talisman, light, and aura. This is true for women and men,” she told Only Natural Diamonds.

Her family’s brand has also detected men’s habits when shopping for pieces. “For example, I remember our iconic crosses from the early 2000s. It was interesting to see men pay careful attention to choosing a piece for themselves or others. This is never a trivial choice,” she recalled, adding, “Today, men are feeling freer, allowing their flair to prevail,” she said.

Louie Cresswell, founder of Ouie Jewelry, a London-based jeweler whose styles have been popular among men, has noticed that his clients buy them to celebrate personal achievements and milestones.

“Buying fine jewelry and luxury pieces is a real gift to yourself. It’s buying into a product that will last a lifetime and can be handed down,” he said, adding, “We find that most men will start with a bracelet or ring, both of which serve as the perfect gateway into Ouie and then come back for the chain or a more elaborate piece to complete the set.”

Muller observes that men tend to shop with someone else, such as a wife, friend, girlfriend, or daughter. “Sometimes we see men on a shopping ‘date’ like a father and child, and the dad is copying his son’s jewelry style,” he said. Muller pointed out that while traditionally, men only bought cufflinks, today they buy themselves rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, usually in that order. 

They love diamonds equally but interpret them differently, according to Muller. “Men are more technical about the diamond, inquiring about clarity, purity, weight, price per carat, and if it’s worth the money. Women look at the whole piece of jewelry. Men typically wear diamonds on a bracelet or a ring; they usually find diamond necklaces too shiny,” he says, noting they gravitate towards back diamonds and a personal favorite, champagne grey diamonds. “I call them hippy chic diamonds, especially in pavé. Also, it’s less common to see a baguette diamond on men’s jewelry.”

While Ouie is known for its ‘small mechanisms and simple devices reimagined in precious metals’ such as solid 18K gold and sterling silver, it often adds diamonds to give it an extra touch. Case in the Ouie’s popular Pavé Toggle style bracelet is set with over 700 diamonds.

“We are moving towards men becoming more interested in colored gemstones, pearls, and diamonds. They are generally becoming braver with their jewelry choices and stepping away from just traditional cufflinks, watches, and pinky rings,” he notes. 

Another brand popular with men is the Japanese brand Hum Fine Jewelry, founded in Tokyo in 2004 and known for its chunky chain ID bracelets and ancient coin-inspired rings. Founders and designers Tomohiro Sadakiyo and Yuka Inanuma notice men respond to pavé settings. 

“One design that is particularly accessible for men is the use of melee diamonds set into a chain link or hook, adding a sophisticated and luxurious feel to the chain’s movement,” Sadakiyo said noting a subtle diamond presence is highly regarded in Japan. 

“It seems that men often place greater importance on the details and background, such as the crafting methods, craftsmanship, and the parts used in the jewelry,” Inanuma said.

As men’s interest in jewelry grows, their taste levels also evolve. “We had a beautiful necklace at Mad Lords that looked like a Van Cleef-style floral. One very artistic and stylish man bought it as a bracelet. A woman’s ring can be on a silver chain as a charm,” Muller observed. However, he has also noticed a reluctance. “Women easily can pull off a jeans, T-shirt, and masculine style jewelry look while remaining perfectly feminine. It doesn’t always work in the opposite, although I wear earrings, and it doesn’t look feminine,” he added.

Recently, Pasquale Bruni relaunched its iconic Accemdimi collection, which is a modern, elegant, timeless, and a bit edgy rock’n’roll style popular among men, according to the creative director. “Men are more instinctive, detail-oriented, and curious: like a peacock who shows his tail to surprise,” noted Bruni.

Cresswell doesn’t believe in traditional gender roles as it pertains to inhibiting design. “Designing can be stifled by gender norms and traditions, resulting in pieces that aren’t exciting to us. The market is shifting; people are much more open to more forward-thinking and unconventional jewelry pieces,” he attested. The brand’s most popular styles for men include the Toggle, Keyring, and Keychain styles.

“People want something new, interesting, and made well; something they can personalize through their ways of wearing and styling,” he continued, noting that mixing metals is also popular with men.

Of course, the men’s jewelry movement has been spurred on by men such as Alton Mason, Bad Bunny, Colman Domingo, and Timotheé Chalamet promoting new jewelry styles on red carpets and social media. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are cementing themselves into history as the current vehicle and model for the impact of male baubles. 

Muller sees Mad Lords’ role as helping to shape the current culture by educating men on the history of men wearing jewelry. “Under the monarchy, men wore more jewelry than women. There was the Dandies at the beginning of the 20^th century. I find it a modern cliché to suggest that a conservative man in a suit and tie can’t wear jewelry,” he suggested.

Bruni draws a historical parallel, too. “In the past, it defined status or was a symbol of power by the Pharaohs, Maharajas, Greeks, and Romans. Over the years, it’s been employed as a detail of elegance in clothing. Today, it represents one’s freedom of style, which will change again.”