Stylish, Tasteful and Masculine...Jewelry for the Guys

Why should women have all the baubles? Jewelry has been worn and enjoyed by men since the beginning of time. In fact, archeologists have uncovered the remains of several Cro-Magnon men wearing strands of small bones, teeth, berries and stones strung on strips of animal sinew around their necks, wrists and ankles. Then as mankind developed, jewelry followed along, becoming more sophisticated in both materials and design.

An increase in world exploration during the Renaissance Period introduced new sources of gemstones to European jewelers. That, coupled with improved personal wealth for the upper class along with stable rulers including King of England Henry VIII and French King Francis I who both worn lavish jewelry from some of the era’s finest craftsmen, increased the demand for men’s pieces with pendants being one of the most popular.

Portrait of Henry VIII of England by Hans Holbein

During WWII men’s jewelry choices consisted mainly of a watch, wedding ring, tie clip, cufflinks and perhaps a money clip. Several years after the end of the war, college rings gained in popularity since more adult males returned to and graduated from college after serving in the military.

The 1960’s and early 1970’s ushered in a time of great social change and men began sporting everything from multiple strands of colorful beads to gold medallions, pendants and bracelets. Earrings for men have ebbed and flowed over the years and now it’s not unusual to see a man with both ears pierced and filled with either matching studs or small hoops.

Today most major fashion houses include several tasteful jewelry collections for men including bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces. Popular London jeweler, Stephen Webster said in a Wall Street Journal article, “Picking the right ring, bracelet or necklace finishes your look…a well-chosen piece can lend a little bit of edge to an outfit.”

All metals work well with the more masculine pieces while stones generally should be darker in nature. White diamonds and colorful stones tend to be a bit too flashy for most gentlemen. Etched designs, religious icons and pieces with sentimental value such as signet rings or a medallion with the family crest are always good choices.

Father’s Day is less than a month away and while I always have several men’s pieces in stock, I’d love to discuss designing that custom piece for your special man.

Various custom made men's items by Danielle Miller Jewelry

Who would you like to see wearing your jewelry?

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:

Who would you like to see wearing your jewelry?

This is a tough question.
Naturally, I LOVE seeing my jewelry on anyone (and everyone)!
But, I would be thrilled to have any celebrity donning my designs. Who wouldn't be honored to have their life's work in the spotlight, even for just a moment? To answer the question, I have decided to fantasize about a few individuals whom I would enjoy adorning with Danielle Miller Jewelry...

The Young Starlet:
Emma Stone is one of my favorite young actresses. She is drop dead gorgeous without being overly girly and has a swift and quirky sense of humor that will get you thinking.

dreaming about Emma Stone wearing my Ridge Earrings & Porta Pendant

The Dame:
Helen Mirren seems to have mastered the art of growing old gracefully. She always looks fit, elegant and fabulous on the red carpet...outshining other stars 30 years younger than her.

dreaming about Helen Mirren wearing my Circles, Circles, Circles Necklace

The Local Gal:
Kimberly Kelly is a TV host for two Entertainment & Talk Shows on CBS WSPA in Greenville, SC. She is always so well put together and fashionable. She DEFINITELY should be wearing some Danielle Miller Jewelry! :)

thinking Kimberly Kelly would look great in my Marquise Chain Lariat

The Dude:
Jon Stewart needs some of my cufflinks, don't you think?

wanting Jon Stewart to flash his cuffs with my Abacus cufflinks

Please continuing reading my fellow EtsyMetal team members fun posts about this subject:
Rebecca Bogan
Beth Cyr
Maria - fluxplay

Some recent special orders

An apology is in order....I have been preoccupied with some big projects that have been time and energy consuming so my blogging has suffered terrible neglect.

So where do I begin? How do I get back into the blogging groove?

I guess I'll start with a quick post about some special orders I made this summer...

This was a 950 Palladium and 18k yellow gold engagement ring with antique diamond passed down by the customer's grandmother.

This was a custom ring I made for a customer who was entering a 2nd marriage. The 12 stones are birthstones of the husband, wife and 10 children...2 families uniting into one.

This was a custom pair of cufflinks I made using the customer's gorgeous Tahitian pearls.

A customer had purchased my Abacus Bracelet #5 and discovered it was just a tad too long for her. I removed a link and turned it into a pendant.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more frequent posts and to hear about those big projects that have been keeping me busy!

Some more Web Press...

I'm happy to announce that my Abacus Wave Cufflinks were featured in blufuse: a new, hip blog featuring modern men products. Very Cool stuff in the blog!

My Midnight Marquise Bracelet was also mentioned on dianalerias.net in the post Jewelry: Favorite Picks. Thank you!

Cufflinks in INSTORE magazine!

A few months ago I received word that the senior editor of INSTORE magazine was looking for jewelry submissions for the magazine's product section. Each month a different product category and it's various price ranges is featured in a multiple page spread---for example: Bridal jewelry, Men's jewelry, Back-to-School jewelry, etc. I jumped at the opportunity and sent the editor a CD full of my jewelry images. I crossed my fingers and waited...

Yesterday, I received my copy of the June issue of INSTORE and there were my cufflinks!!! Needless to say, I'm thrilled!

Cufflinks in Niche magazine!

I have the honor of having my geometric cufflinks in Niche magazine's Spring 2008 issue! The article entitled "Sparkle, Dazzle and Shine" features work by 11 jewelers whose collections are fun, fashionable and easy to wear.