It’s surprisingly difficult to go jewellery shopping for a man or male figure. Not because he’s tricky to buy for, or that nothing is his ‘style’ — there just aren’t that many options for men at mainstream jewellery stores.
I found this out first hand when I took my boyfriend shopping for earrings recently. He wanted some gold Euro hoops but he had an open mind. I reckon we went to at least 12 jewellery stores in Melbourne’s CBD, and most of the people behind the counters had nothing to show us when we told them what we were looking for. They’d point to a corner of the store with one glass cabinet, filled with leather bracelets and chunky signet rings and say, “that’s the men’s section”.
I was kind of surprised. In 2021, I guess I thought that we were diverse enough to offer gender-neutral jewellery in a more mainstream way. The internet offers us endless options of beautiful boutique jewellers from all over the world that design jewellery for everyone, which is perhaps what I was expecting from a trip to the city stores. When it comes to buying things like jewellery, it’s all about the experience, and jewellery stores are too beautiful not to utilise. Why buy online when you can listen to jazz music and sip Champagne whilst being shown trays of jewels? We shouldn’t have to sacrifice that experience because of a lack of diversity in product.
And now, maybe we won’t have to. Tiffany & Co. has just launched a new line of diamond engagement rings, designed for men, but also everyone. The rings are not only classically stunning, they also celebrate historically traditional jewellery and occasions becoming increasingly unconventional.
In our society today, anyone can propose to anyone. If you’re a woman and you want to propose to your man; these rings are perfect. If you’re a man and you want to marry your man, these rings are for you. If you’re a person who knows that your girlfriend loves a classic chunky silver ring, then these rings might be just what you’re looking for. If you identify as non-binary and you don’t want a ring with gendered undertones, then this could be a stunning option.
You get the picture; traditions are changing and that deserves to be celebrated. Especially with diamonds.
The collection, which launches on Monday, is called The Charles Tiffany Setting, not because it incorporates a new setting technique, but because it is a tribute to the iconic six-prong Tiffany setting created by founder Charles Lewis Tiffany. Each ring is designed to hold either a round brilliant or emerald cut diamond of up to five carats in a bezel-style setting.
Not only are Tiffany & Co.’s settings an example of how to reflect modern society in their pieces, they’re also ahead of the curve on responsible sourcing of their jewels. They offer a full history for each diamond they sell, including its region, country of origin, where it was cut, graded, quality assured and where it was set. The information on each individual diamond is printed on a Tiffany Diamond Certificate, which is also a lifetime warranty.
You can browse the collection here, and grab one as soon as next week.
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