Curling up at home for months straight has torn our social lives, and our self-confidence, to shreds. Summer, and all the accompanying opportunities for fresh summer outfits, have passed us by in a flash. In their place, we made do with countless evenings of Zoom calls, and who dresses to the nines for Zoom calls? Not us, that’s for sure. There’s no denying that lockdown has been lonely and just slightly sad, but—strangely—it’s been a golden opportunity for passionate jewellery collectors.
As reported in a recent article from GQ, the sale of men’s jewellery has skyrocketed since the start of lockdown. Men who, previously, would have drawn the line at a solid watch and cufflink combo are now exploring new horizons: chains, bracelets, pendants, rings and more. Surprisingly, even men who wouldn’t have set foot in the same room as a plated pendant this time last year are making their first fearless steps into the wide world of jewellery.
It makes us wonder, what’s causing this nationwide influx of bejewelled gents? There are a number of compelling reasons, starting, we think, with the timelessness of jewellery. With clothing, the ‘old’ method of male aesthetic expression, styles come and go throughout the year, every year. Much like the wind, the direction of fashion can change suddenly with absolutely zero warning. With lockdown, the hot summer outfits assembled by most fashion-conscious blokes were left in a state of neglect. What a waste of money. Jewellery, on the other hand, never goes out of fashion or season: a fine gold piece is always relevant. Give it one year or one-hundred years, jewellery will never look out of place.
What else? Well, lockdown also meant the closure of pubs, clubs, bars and… come to think of it, just about everything else too. With the leisure industry at a standstill, we had more funds flowing around our bank accounts than ever before. What a perfect opportunity to invest those spare funds into something tangible, something that will stand the test of time. Put simply, stylish men all over the country finally had the funds to justify buying that tempting gold chain, ring or watch. And what did they do? They bought it, en masse!
Finally, the male jewellery market has boomed for exactly the same reasons that men collectively decided to take the clippers to their heads and go bald: being cooped up helped them take risks! For some men, looking good can be embarrassing (we know, ridiculous), but lockdown provided the perfect opportunity to leap into all-new realms of style. It may have started thanks to lockdown, but we’re inclined to believe that these fashion barriers are broken down for good. Jewellery, for men, is here to stay and only stands to grow over these next few years.
Have you made any wild jewellery risks over these past few months? Looking to make a few more, or perhaps you’re ready to make your first foray into the world of gold and silver? Whoever you are, Bling King is can get you looking your sharpest.
