Take a close look at what some of the A and B list actors are wearing. Whether it’s in the movies or off-screen, actors are beginning to wear the odd bit of mens’ jewellery. If you’ve seen the Bond movies, you may have spotted Pierce Brosnan wearing an enviously smart and sporty Omega Seamaster model on three occasions, the last being in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Mens’ watches still command influence. Men think about watches and like to talk about watch redeeming features. Men care about watches doing interesting things. In fact, watches are the only types of mens’ jewellery that have relished the fashion highs and endured the lows.
More recently however, mens’ jewellery has seen a renaissance. Bracelets, pendants and rings are just some of the other types of mens’ jewellery available for men to wear. Now, a new generation of young, urban metrosexuals are apparently comfortable enough with revealing their feminine side to wear a pendant or a pair of earrings.
Men’s jewellery still represents a fraction of overall jewellery sales. But the bold MTV bling look has helped sell diamond-faced watches as well as large diamond earrings.
Mass market jewellery retailers have cottoned on to this trend and are in a race to get actors to endorse their wide range of mens’ jewellery. Tiffany had quietly expanded its usual watch and cufflink collections to include silver pendants, rings and bracelets.
When photos of Brad Pitt appeared in magazines, showing the actor wearing a silver pendant and cufflinks for the movie Oceans Twelve, men were out looking to buy “Brad Pitt” pieces. Similarly, Orlando Bloom has been photographed wearing mens’ jewellery on magazine covers and the actor Johnny Depp is known to wear a leather bracelet. George Clooney has also been seen wearing jewellery in a very understated, confident way.
It’s not surprising then that jewellery retailers will work the celebrity circuit in any possible way. At this year’s Cannes festival, there was a desperate race to dress film stars with exquisite dresses, footwear and jewellery. The jeweller Chopard hired the entire floor of the Majestic hotel devoted to a heavily guarded treasure suite in an effort to entice celebrities to borrow some of their jewels for the occasion. Also new pieces were flown in daily from Geneva for actors to borrow.
Award shows and fashion shows are becoming all important showcase arenas for jewellery retailers. Competition between jewellery makers is increasing as the market for jewellery and mens’ jewellery expands with the growth of economies in Asia and the US.
