Bling For Boys - More Men Think Jewelry Is Manly


First he raided your grooming products. Then he usurped your aesthetician. And now, babes, not even your jewelry box is safe.

Guys are buying themselves bracelets, rings and pendant necklaces with increasing frequency, and wearing their bling with a confidence and flair heretofore unseen in the Western world, according to fashion experts and industry observers.

"From an industry perspective, men's jewelry has been one of the real stars of the last couple years," says Sam Meddy, President of JewelryByNET.com a leading internet jewelry retailer. "Men are spending more time grooming themselves. That carries over into the men's jewelry market."

So much so that insiders estimate the industry has seen a 20 percent growth in men's jewelry in the past few years. Many manufacturers, most of whom have focused solely on women, have launched new lines aimed at men for the first time.

» View Men's Designer Jewelry At JewelryByNET.com

"In 2005, there must have been at least 20 new brands added in our men's jewelry collection. The collection of bracelets, chains, pendants, rings and diamond earrings has an edgy, urban feel; pieces are made of traditional gold & silver and alternative materials such as rubber and steel, and accented with combinations of metals." said Sam Meddy.

"It's really affordable and it's really cool and fun," says Meddy. "It really fits my masculine, male image."

Already the JewelryByNET Men's Collection is a favorite among the celebrity set. Jeremy "Yogi" Graham - a record producer with Sean "Diddy" Combs wears several JewelryByNET.com's men's designer gold bracelets and chains as well as athletes like Keith Hernandez.

Meddy says he knew the line - sold at JewelryByNET.com - would take off. All the men he knows, he says, are big fans of jewelry. "I'm in the fashion business. That's my job," says Meddy, a collector of fine watches and exotic automobiles.

But male-oriented jewelry isn't strictly for the diamonds-in-both-ears hip-hoppers or the fashion-experimental young. Bling for men is in!

From the ball court to the boardroom, men of all ages, lifestyles and income levels are finding themselves more inclined to throw on a little something shiny.

"There are different segmentations of men (buying jewelry). Some men are more of the Ralph Lauren set, penny loafers and blue blazers," says Meddy. "Then you have the Wall Street business types. It has really taken hold in all segments of the market." Word-of-mouth has helped fuel this upswing, which industry insiders say is more the start of a new era in jewelry than a trend or fad.

JewelryByNET's Executive VP, George Alexandrakis said customers utilizing the company's Personal Jewelry Shopping Assistant say, "I saw 50 Cent wearing a piece of your work on an album cover." Or, "I saw Wayne Gretsky's wife with a beautiful necklace on. I'd like to get that."

Athletes and celebrities' obsession with "ice" and "bling-bling" filtered from the urban to the suburban market and created a demand for jewelry for the mainstream man, says Alexandrakis. "These super-masculine guys are saying, "Jewelry's cool, and I'll show you why, because I'll wear it." So as a result, men are thinking, "Hey, it's OK for me to wear this."

JewelryByNET.com has recently expanded on the practical accessories it was offering for men (cufflinks, key chains, money clips) to items made purely for style.

"It really started maybe two or three years ago," says Alexandrakis. "It really changed rather noticeably. The brand evolved from a functional brand to style - men's bracelets, rings and these sorts of things. Full-fledged men's jewelry."

"I think that this will actually help women," says Sam Meddy. "What I think will happen is that men will develop a better comfort level about purchasing jewelry, and won't feel so intimidated by the whole jewelry-buying experience."

About JewelryByNet.com

JewelryByNet was founded in 2002 to meet the need for attractive, durable and affordable fine jewelry available to the masses with savings of up to 80% off typical retail prices delivered straight from the factory and eliminating the middlemen and their huge price markups. Based in New York City, JewelryByNet is the retail division of a jewelry manufacturing & wholesaler established in 1963. JewelryByNet creates and markets a range of both traditional and contemporary jewelry, presented on various styles of rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, charms and body jewelry, in platinum, gold, sterling silver and stainless steel.
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» View Men's Designer Jewelry At JewelryByNET.com

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