The Ultimate Natural Diamond Gift Guide for Men
Discover the most elegant and organic natural diamond jewelry for men on your gifting list this year.
What feels real is more important than ever. Placing yourself solidly in the real world is as much about a sense of self as how you manifest that to others. Jewelry has always played an important role in defining oneself and showing one’s character. As with so many other aspects of our lives (both digital and physical), the options have become nearly limitless. This can be overwhelming or liberating. The schools of thought on precious accessories explored here are decidedly liberating. The real is what we make of it. Take a look at the best natural diamond jewelry for men on your gifting list this season.
Really Complicated
Due to a resurgent love for the 90s, traditional chain links such as the Cuban, Figaro, and Herringbone have been enjoying the spotlight over the last few years. So where do we go from here? For many geometrically gifted designers, chains have become more intricate, bigger, and, with the inclusion of precious stones, more dazzling. Like other art forms, jewelry must be balanced to be beautiful, and to achieve a design that is both pleasing and can stand the test of time is no easy feat. Folks invest a lot of money in these pieces and want to be able to wear them for years and even hand them down to future generations. The safe route is to stick with classic tropes. But rather than trying to be timeless, these bold pieces stand outside of time – their audacity makes them endlessly NOW. Complications have always figured into natural diamond jewelry for men in the form of mechanical watches. Movements such as tourbillions and perpetual calendars are exceedingly hard to produce, making watches more valuable. For this mentality to creep into other forms of adornment is most welcome – such as with David Yurman’s diamond inset deco link chains, or Louis Morais’ triple stack hinge rings. A discerning eye can tell if a stone is precious by the four c’s, but truly captivating jewelry must go a step further. If it shows ingenuity, craftsmanship, and beautiful materials, then the bang is worth every buck.
Really Elegant
A former boss of mine once said that it should take fifteen minutes to figure out if a man is well dressed or not. He was referring to the fact that it’s the details that set an excellently dressed man apart from a merely acceptably dressed one. The overall style of the clothes men wear has changed since then, but the sentiment is still valid. One of the most telling details of the excellently dressed are their accessories. Over the last few years, it’s been noted that diamond jewelry for men and watches have been getting smaller and more refined. This has taken several turns – from minimal to a little bit slutty – but has now settled into a very pleasing and elegant equilibrium.
Elegant does not mean simple or boring. In fact, it’s far harder to inject personality into such a small canvas and even more pleasurable when it’s nailed. Take the diamond tennis bracelet as an example: Greg Yuna’s version has natural diamonds inset into gold disks for a two-tone effect, and Brooklyn Jeweler Mociun’s Building Block bracelet staggers the diamonds out over links. Both are subtle but impactful. They might not be noticeable right away but are sure to secure a second glance – or a fifteen-minute observation. Elegance is in the attitude and is present in every context and occasion. Therefore, this diamond jewelry becomes part of the wearer’s everyday routine, blending in and always appropriate. The idea of true elegance is to choose wisely once and then never think about it again.
Really Regional
As the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided there have been thousands of trend articles breathlessly recounting consumers’ preference for experience over things. Hotels, hiking guides, and chefs are to rejoice; shopkeepers are to beware. No doubt there has been a surge in what has been called “revenge travel” these last two summers, but what is being underplayed is the traveler’s desire for keepsakes from their journeys. One can have terabytes of selfies, but after a while, they all blend into each other. What are you left with? Finding a talisman while perusing Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar or at a cool shop in Santa Fe, will remind you forever of a life spent living. And if you happen to find you have a certain appreciation for the way Indian jewelers design their links, and you want more? Luckily, they are only a hyperlink away. Nearly every culture has its own jewelry traditions and meanings. When one visits a culture and feels inspired (or gains an appreciation from researching it), it can be a great honor to take a piece with you and wear it respectfully. It’s also up to designers to take a celebratory and reverential approach to base inspiration from other traditions. It’s even better if craftspeople and artists from those cultures work on the project. All purchases are a choice, and those choices move markets and industries over time. Investing in pieces from places you visit and supporting designers and manufacturers who source equitably will always be in style.
Jacquie Aiche
Jacquie Aiche Diamond Thunderbird and Gold and Onyx Beaded Necklace, $9,250, jacquieaiche.com
Matturi Fine Jewelry
Matturi Fine Jewelry Nomoli Totem Spiky Pendant, price upon request, matturi.com
Really Organic
Jewelry designers dedicate time and effort to remove the imperfections in gems and metal. This is, of course, to enhance the beauty of the materials but also to show their mastery over them. As we’ve talked about before, this process can become so complicated that it bends the mind. This semi-mystical blending of natural materials by artists will delight some wearers, but to others, it borders on Byzantine. Some jewelers swing the pendulum to its farthest extreme by creating pieces that showcase or mimic the rawness of the natural world. They even incorporate decidedly non-precious materials into their creations. We’re talking wood and concrete. The juxtaposition of expertly cut diamonds with a fossilized shark tooth, or a hunk of barely polished Lapis Lazuli feels exciting, and a little daring. A gold ring that looks just a little bit like an amoeba or looks very much like it was hammered by hand won’t appeal to everyone, and that’s just what the wearer of such a piece wants. One’s choice of diamond jewels should be intensely personal, and so trends in diamond jewelry for men tend to be as varied as the wearer. Traditional just doesn’t sit right with these adherents to the organic, and after all, there’s something magnetic about someone with a rough edge to their refinement.
Diamond jewelry for men.
