Men's Precious Metal Fashion Jewellery
Diamond Jewellery is one of the earliest known forms of body adornment to be worn by both men and women. It can be a symbol of wealth or social background, ethnicity or religious belief, or simply a sign that the wearer enjoys possessing and wearing nice things.
Fashion trends in men’s jewellery may come and go but precious metal jewellery never loses its charm or value. The single most popular fashion accessory for men is the wristwatch and there are few men who do not aspire to own a classic gold watch.
Other popular jewellery items for men are neck chains, bracelets and rings and every man should have at least one of these to embellish his wardrobe. The preferred choice of precious metal, however, will vary considerably.
Yellow gold has never lost its popularity but is gradually being superseded by white gold and platinum for several reasons. Yellow gold ranges in purity and you can tell how much gold is contained in the jewellery item by the carat value depicted on the hallmark. Pure gold is defined as 24 carat, but this is unsuitable for everyday jewellery as it is much too soft. The most commonly found gold jewellery in the UK is 9 carat gold, which is 37.5% pure gold, while the most precious is 22 carat at 91.6% pure, and which has a deeper yellow colour.
White gold is an alloy of gold and a white metal, usually palladium, which is more expensive than gold, hence white can be slightly more expensive than yellow. It is also harder and therefore better for everyday diamond jewellery such as wedding bands. It is the preference of some men (and women) who consider yellow gold to be too gaudy.
Platinum has been described as ‘the rich man’s gold’ because it is a scarce material and considerably more expensive. One of the rarest elements in the earth’s crust, only about 130 tons of this precious metal can be mined annually. Compare this to approximately 2,500 tons of gold and its rarity value can instantly be seen.
Silver, on the other hand, has sometimes been described as ‘the poor man’s gold’ because it is considerably easier to produce and therefore much less expensive. Nevertheless it is often the metal of choice in men’s fashion jewellery, particularly with the younger generation. Silver can look particularly attractive on fairer skins and lends itself well to some of the more ornate jewellery styles which have been making a come-back in both women and men’s fashion jewellery in recent years.
