Men wearing women’s jewellery? Harry Styles and Marc Jacobs were rocking pearls years ago, and now G-Dragon, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams are revitalising the gender-fluid accessory trend

Brands like Dior, Hermès and Versace – and celebrities including Harry Styles, G-Dragon and A$AP Rocky – have all embraced feminine jewellery for men, with this season’s offerings continuing the trend

Adornments for men were the norm in ancient times, with an 18th century movement dubbed the Great Male Renunciation responsible for men eschewing ‘frivolity’ in favour of more utilitarian aesthetics

Harry Styles rocking feminine jewellery the 2019 Met Gala, which carried the theme “Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion”. Photo: WireImage

Black onyx and mother-of-pearl in an angular white gold setting, sparkling spheres covered with white or black diamonds or – if you really want to stand out – enamelled parrots, frogs or skiing ice bears. The diverse cast of Ronald Abram’s attention-grabbing cufflinks – easily combined with House of Abram’s angular-cut diamond rings – are catering for a growing number of men who enhance their appearance with glittering jewels. And why not? In ancient history, men were more adorned than women.

“There was this Great Male Renunciation around the French Revolution, when men started to pull back and go for a more utilitarian look – they left frivolity behind,” says Victoria Gomelsky, editor-in-chief of JCK magazine, the largest and oldest trade publication for the jewellery industry in the US, founded in 1869.