How to Wear Men’s Jewellery:
The Basics

This post is in partnership with Thomas Sabo

I’ve never really dabbled with men’s jewellery, apart from a string ankle bracelet that I once nonchalantly tied around my ankle and then left for 10 years (I kid you not). I’ve always had mixed feelings on whether jewellery suited me or not. I’ve tried the classic leather bracelets, stacked of course, but I never felt they quite matched my personality.  A lot the confusion has stemmed around how to wear men’s jewellery in the first place – as I feel, unlike fashion, there are style rules we tend to need to follow a little more.

A timely choice

For me, there are two pieces of jewellery I like; rings and watches. While I know a watch isn’t traditionally a piece of jewellery, but when you tend to wear the metal variety of men’s watches like I do, it needs to be factored in with any other jewellery you wear. You don’t to step out in a silver watch with gold jewellery, it’s going to clash.

I love how much a watch can complete an outfit. It can elevate a simple look, making you look sharp, refined and considered. I’m on my way to building a bit of a watch wardrobe as I like mixing it up, and it’s important to think of the occasion. I big metal watch will be a bit much at the gym, so maybe opt for a sports watch with a rubber band.

Watches are traditionally worn on the left hand as the crown is on the right, this is because it should be worn on the hand opposite to your dominant hand, and traditionally watch companies have been rather unfair to the left-handed!

A ring on his finger

It was the Victorians who wiped rings off men’s fingers. In an attempt to separate the sexes, wearing jewellery became a ‘woman’s thing’ and thus started the stereotypical idea of diamonds being a girl’s best friend. F**k that, I love a diamond. Someone give me a diamond! It got to a point when even married men tended not to wear a ring, which reeks of patriarchy and all sorts of toxic masculinity. Only the women needed banded as ‘owned’ by their husbands. But while there have always been men who wearing jewellery and rings, it’s taken a while for men wearing wedding rings to become the norm again. In recent times, men in the public eye like Prince Harry and George Clooney (the forever bachelors) who have been seen wearing not only jewellery on the whole, but wedding rings, has sparked a resurgence in interest.

Which ring on which finger? The immediate question we ask when it comes to wearing rings. While you can through caution to the wind and wear a ring wherever you like, there are certain fingers that will send a message to anyone who sees it, like your ring finger on your left hand. The second finger, following the pinky, the ring finger is aptly named due to it denoting someone being married. So if you want people to think you’re married (we’ve all done it on a night out, don’t lie) then go for it. The easiest finger to wear a ring on is your pinky as it holds no traditional significance. It’s often the favoured digit for signet rings. I love a signet ring, but it does evoke connotation of fat mobster hands, but also I have never found one the suits.

Whichever finger you wear you ring on, you need to make sure it balances with your size. A slim ring on a chunky hand is going to look odd. You also need to factor in skin tone (which is different to colour). Cooler tones will need to look for men’s silver rings and other metals like white gold. Whereas warmer tones should opt for gold and rose gold. But as always, plenty of people buck the trend, it’s just a starting point.

Brace(let) yourself

I love a layered wrist on a guy, a watch paired with one or multiple extra bracelets. But it’s one to do carefully. Mix up the metal with leather to give texture and depth. If you layer up with the same metal, it’s going to look like armour.

There are loads of men’s bracelets on the market, from power beads, to leather straps and ropes with hardware accents. So there’s plenty to choose form depending on your style/personality.

Thomas Sabo offer a great range of men’s jewellery and men’s watches, from traditional silver to trend-lead styles. Check them out and show your style with #thomassabo