Tips for Choosing Jewelry Gifts for The Men in Your Life
Jewelry is usually considered a pretty safe field to choose gifts in if you are buying for a woman. From earrings and pendants to charm bracelets and bangles, there is women’s jewelry at all price points and styles. This makes it easy to choose an appropriate thing to give, whether it is for your wife, your teenage niece, or even your retiring coworker. However, what a lot of people find more difficult is choosing jewelry for men. This is a shame, because jewelry can actually be a really great gift for men, just as it is for women. It can last forever, look stylish, and be really pleasant to receive.
Here, then, are some tips for buying jewelry gifts for the men in your life – whether it’s your significant other, your brother, or your friends. 
Think About the Jewelry They Already Wear
Some men like wearing jewelry and regularly wear chains, bracelets, wristbands, earrings and other pieces. Others tend not to think much about accessorizing, and may just wear a watch, or no jewelry at all. Thinking about the items you have seen the target for your gift wearing before can help you decide what type of jewelry might be a nice choice for them, and then help you pick a style. If you are buying for someone who does wear jewelry quite often, what kinds of things does he wear? Are they traditional pieces in metals like gold or silver, or does he seem to like more fashion inspired things in materials like leather or wood?
If he doesn’t wear much by way of jewelry but you think he’d appreciate some as a gift, try looking at the things he does wear for an idea of style. If he is married, his wedding ring can be a good indicator of his taste in jewelry. You can get wedding rings for men in ornate styles, styles with stones set in them, or basic, chunky, masculine styles. You can even get them in unusual materials like titanium and steel. By checking out the kind of wedding ring he has, you may find some great inspiration for your gift.
Other things he wears, such as the style of glasses or sunglasses, or his watch, can also give you ideas about his personal taste in accessories. Does he wear a classic watch, a high end designer watch, or the latest smart watch? Does he wear smart, minimal glasses, or trendy thick framed square ones? Are his sunglasses designer, or cheap ones from the drugstore? Think about what you have seen him wearing by way of accessories as well as jewelry, and you may be surprised at what you can learn to help you in picking a gift.
Consider Their Lifestyle
Lifestyle is also an important part of what makes a piece of jewelry the right gift or not. There is jewelry to suit all kinds of people and occasions, and by matching not just his taste, but where he goes and what he does, it can be easy to find something he will love.
For men who have to dress formally for work, suit accessories can be a great choice. Cufflinks and tie pins can add some extra interest and style to his business attire and also be very thoughtful gifts. Of course, for a man who works in a more casually dressed environment, they can still be a good choice if he goes to formal events fairly often, or likes to dress up when he goes out to dinner or to parties. For men who live in jeans, these gifts might be well received, but he wouldn’t have much chance to use them, so something that works with casual clothing like a simple chain can be a more versatile choice.
Sometimes, you can take a cue from his hobbies, too. If he is sporty, then a sports watch could be a better choice than a more formal piece. If he likes sailing or water sports, you might want to look for something water resistant that is suitable for wearing while he does his favorite activities.
What Is the Occasion?
Once you have looked for ideas about his taste, and when he might wear his gift, it is time to think about what to buy. A good thing to consider is what the occasion is, and what significance you want the gift to have.
If the gift is for a fairly mundane reason, such as an ordinary birthday or holiday, or is for someone you are not especially close to (like the partner of a friend, or a coworker), then you don’t really need to choose something with lasting significance or which the recipient will want to treasure forever, but simply something appealing and nice to receive.
If, however, it is for someone very special to you, particularly if it is for a major occasion like a special birthday or anniversary, a wedding, graduation, or other big milestone, then the best jewelry gifts are the ones that will last. Fashionable pieces, tech wearables and things made of less resilient materials like leather are not such a good choice here, as they don’t have the kind of timeless appeal where the recipient will want to keep them to look back on in years to come. Classic items in precious metals tend to be the best choice here.
Customization
Once you have decided on the type of thing you’d like to buy, another thing you can think about is whether or not you want to customize it. You can customize a lot of jewelry with engraving, and this can be a great way to make a piece unique and give it even more significance to the man you give it to. You probably only want to customize the item if you are buying for someone you are close to, or if it is a gift to mark a specific date for someone you are less close to, like a retirement gift for a boss. Remember that, typically, if you have something customized, it can’t be returned, so make sure you are sure about the gift before ordering any engraving.
Messages engraved on jewelry can come in all kinds of forms, and depend a lot on how much space you have. Things like dog tag style necklaces, or the backs of watches, can of course take quite a lot of engraving, and so you can write a special message or customize them with the recipient’s favorite quote or their name. With smaller pieces like rings, simple engraving to include initials or dates can be used to add meaning and make the finished item more unique.
When choosing engraving, think about whether the gift is symbolic of your relationship with the person you are giving it to or not. If, for example, it is an anniversary gift, then putting your own name or initials on it can make it more special. If it is for an occasion that is just about the recipient, however, like a birthday or graduation, then consider customizations that personalize the item to them, rather than remind them of you, such as monograms or a special message.
Presentation
Even inexpensive fashion jewelry can be turned into a really lovely gift to receive if you present it nicely, and more expensive pieces benefit from being given in boxes that can later be used to store the item when he isn’t wearing it. Most men don’t have jewelry boxes like many women do so boxes can be preferable to simple pouches for presenting jewelry for men.
A lot of jewelers, both in stores and online, offer different options for gift wrapping when you buy jewelry, and in many cases, you can also have this customized if you want the gift to be extra special. For simple gifts, however, choose the packaging option that offers both the most initial appeal when you give the gift, and gives them a practical way to keep the jewelry stored and easy to find later on.
If you are ordering online to have the gift delivered straight to the recipient, rather than being able to give it to them in person, you can often request a card as part of the gift wrapping service. This way you can make sure that when they receive the gift, your recipient will know who it is from and also get any messages of goodwill or congratulations you want to include. Some jewelers and retail shops even hand write the cards to add an extra touch of elegance.
Buying jewelry for men may not be as commonly thought of as buying it for women when a time comes when a gift is needed, but it can be just as good an option. By considering what the person you are buying for likes, where they will get a chance to wear it, and how you can make the gift especially relevant and significant with customizations, you can easily find a really nice item that the man you are buying for will love.
