Before COVID-19, it seemed like men’s jewelry might be finding a way, at last, to become a bona fide thing.

Jake Gyllenhaal was running around New York City in a flashy gold chain. Harry Styles was making pearls chic (the Jonas Brothers also jumped on the pearl bandwagon). Gucci Mane wore a double strand of diamonds to the 2020 Grammy Awards. And chunky gold rings were suddenly everywhere, and not just on Johnny Depp.

Would the red carpet wave—coupled with growing consumer demand for fashion that obliterates traditional gender lines—help men’s jewelry become a viable consumer category beyond watches and wedding rings?

With a lack of high-profile events during the pandemic, the category’s momentum slowed. But now that the economy has reopened, and our collective desire to be aggressively out in the world (spending, spending, spending!) has been established, men’s jewelry is once again poised to trend upward.

A recent report on the state of watches and jewelry authored by Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Co. said that though men’s fine jewelry sales account for only 5–10% of the global market, and wedding bands continue to make up the majority of sales, male consumers represent “an opportunity for brands to capture share in a relatively uncrowded market driven by increasingly genderless aesthetics and high-profile celebrity influencers, particularly in Asia.”

Many high-profile brands have anticipated the growth, and have debuted men’s and genderless collections to capture the coming spend. Kendra Scott debuted its first-ever men’s collection, Scott Bros. by Kendra Scott, last month, and Graziela introduced a men’s series in May. 

David Yurman added a men’s line last year, as did designer Jacquie Aiche, who told JCK’s Brittany Siminitz, “Whether it’s a single gold chain or a stack of gemstone beaded bracelets, I’ve found that more and more men are opening up to trying new layers.” Contemporary jewelry brand Mishodebuted its first-ever men’s collection, featuring classic chains, beaded bracelets, pearl and zodiac necklaces, and signet rings, just yesterday.