It’s natural for most people to automatically associate women with jewellery because women are generally dainty creatures who love wearing beautiful diamonds and gems which enhance their femininity. While most men won’t always be as flamboyant about their love of jewellery, it doesn’t mean they don’t admire and appreciate jewellery just as much as women do.
Many times, when all a man wants to do is slip on a ring, he feels self conscious because whether it’s talked about or not, most men feel certain stigmas about wearing jewellery. They think other men may find it too feminine, perhaps it looks too flashy or the simple fact of just not knowing how to wear it properly will make them look gaudy.
Saying that, it may be hard for some folks to imagine that men’s designer rings are, in fact, the most booming area in men’s jewellery today! Some might not believe this to be true but herein is where the stereotype lies: Just because men are not as vocal about displaying their jewellery as women are (putting aside our bling-flaunting rappers
) doesn’t mean they aren’t collectors and admirers of exquisite jewellery, especially rings. Men and designer rings have quite the history together for the simple fact that rings were initially worn to display wealth and status. As time went on and jewellery progressed, women started to wear them more fashionably for social acceptance and less representative of familial status whereas men continue to this very day, to keep rings as a symbol of accomplishment and manhood. Just to give a few examples – aside from wedding rings – of other men’s designer rings include:
- Masonic rings
- High school sports rings
- College rings
- Rings that represent countries, i.e., Super Bowl rings, Armed Forces rings
- Signet rings
Unlike women, the majority of men aren’t window shoppers and instead, tend to go straight to the jeweller to have their rings designed for them. Because men do heavier lifting and more physical work than most women, their rings tend to carry the brunt of misfortunes making a simple gold ring an easy target of daily wear and tear. Instead, durable, precious metals like platinum, titanium, palladium and tungsten are used to endure dings and scratched surfaces. Diamonds and gemstones are channel set into the ring to forego claws breaking or bending for the same reason. As always, how men wear jewellery is all about style and execution. Because wearing rings on certain fingers can look more feminine than others, it’s important to know the significance each finger represents. The commonly known international reasons for what wearing rings on each finger symbolizes goes a little something like this:
- Thumb – Generally no ring
- Index Finger – Means he/she is unmarried but looking for a steady relationship
- Middle Finger – Shows he/she is in love with a fixed person
- Ring Finger – Means he/she is engaged or married
- Pinky Finger – Shows his/her determination for avoiding marriage from the cradle to the grave
For women, this formula can be applied since wearing designer rings is more sentimental and is usually based upon feelings and love. However, in ways that men’s rings are created differently than women’s rings, men wear their designer rings for different significant reasons which then changes this theory of wearing rings to a more updated, masculine formula:
- Thumb – Historically worn on both, nowadays worn on one which allows the designer ring to portray a statement of self, sexuality or fashion
- Index Finger – Wearing your designer ring here shows dominance, energy and power
- Middle Finger – Similar to what showing the middle finger implies, wearing a designer ring on this finger shows rebellion, decadence and irreverence
- Ring Finger – Universally shows marriage
- Pinky Finger – Historically used to imprint their signet ring on a stamp or seal, nowadays is most commonly worn to show fashion; although some men also choose the pinky finger to beef up the gangster/mafia look or to show reference to gambling
Most men don’t wear rings on index and middle fingers but to each person, goes their own style. Wearing a ring on the pinky finger is commonly seen and recommended by all jewellers since it’s the fashionable and proper way for men to wear designer rings. Not to mention that it brings out one of a man’s most attractive features! It’s a well know fact that studies prove one of the most attractive physical traits women find in men are their hands.
An interesting trend that’s recently been on the rise is women proposing to their boyfriends with male engagement rings. Before your mind stereotypically wanders off, remember that it’s a man’s ring! It won’t hold a high diamond setting with lots of frilly highlighted details; it will be a customised thick band sometimes including a channel diamond, etching or even a two-toned band for those who wish to add some pizzazz. While men and their rings have a lengthy history together, the mindset is changing as more and more men are accepting designer rings, not only as a form of symbolism or another trophy to add to their collection, but as a fashionable statement of self that’s shows confidence and class. The bottom line is that designer rings are as equally desirable for men as they are for women and there’s nothing stereotypical about that!
