Men prefer jewelry from their honeys

Buzz surrounding men's jewelry has been circulating for some time now, with designer brands such as David Yurman and Chris Aire, and retailers including South Florida's King Jewelers expanding their men's offerings.

But now, a new survey, conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by SHR/Simmons Jewelry Group, is attaching figures to the buzz and delving into the attitudes of adults in the United States toward men wearing fine and fashion jewelry—excluding more traditional items such as wedding bands, watches and cuff links.

The online survey of 2,327 adults (1,052 men and 1,275 women), conducted over two days in November, found that while the percentage of men who currently wear jewelry is less than half (41 percent), 60 percent of men said they would consider wearing jewelry and accessories outside of the traditional offerings.

Men said they would consider rings (45 percent) over any other piece of jewelry, followed by neck chains (31 percent), pendants (20 percent) and bracelets (16 percent).

Women's desires for what they'd like to see men wear closely mirror men's interests. According to the survey, 40 percent of women would like to see more men wearing jewelry, with the majority (24 percent) indicating they would like to see more men wear rings, followed by neck chains (15 percent). From here, the results diverge, with 13 percent of women saying they'd like to see more men's bracelets and 10 percent indicating they'd like to see more pendants.

According to the survey, these interests matter: The vast majority of men (86 percent) said they would be at least somewhat likely to wear a piece of jewelry given to them by their significant other. In addition, 50 percent of men indicated they would be extremely or very likely to do so.

In terms of age, younger women are more likely to make jewelry purchases for a significant other (72 percent of those ages 18-34 are at least somewhat likely, versus 62 percent of those ages 35-44, 61 percent of those ages 45-54 and 47 percent of those ages 55 and older).

As for those men who choose not to wear jewelry, 42 percent indicated it is because they don't shop for jewelry, and 37 percent said it is because they don't feel comfortable wearing jewelry. A smaller percentage (23 percent) said they are not satisfied with the availability of offerings, and 21 percent said they don't like the way jewelry looks on them.
Source: nationaljewelernetwork