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My mother’s jewellery has always told her story. Whether she was emigrating from Jamaica to Winnipeg at eight years old, becoming a model at the age of 12 or entering law school in the 1980s, she often found herself in spaces where Black girls were heavily scrutinized. Over the decades, she has fought back with a skill passed down from generation to generation of Black folk: dressing for success and accessorizing with aplomb. Think power suits with gold brooches, luxe satin blouses with shimmery pearls, low-key sweatsuits elevated with dazzling dangling earrings. Each item in her prized collection is a trophy of her autonomy, telling the world that she is not just anyone; she is someone. That’s why, when I was a little boy and wanted to borrow these pieces, my mother didn’t interrogate me. Instead, she gave me her enthusiastic blessing. When I was in high school, she’d help me style them to complement my boyish wardrobe: a bejewelled pin for the lapel of my blazer, a pearl bracelet to my Abercrombie & Fitch sweater. Through this self-adornment, I inherited more than just her heirlooms—I gained a better understanding of where I came from.
From runways to real life, men are not just wearing jewellery—they’re sporting conversation-starting pieces with a story.
Back then, I felt unique as a boy wearing his mom’s jewellery. After all, accessory heirlooms are commonly considered a feminine affair, like a decades-old string of pearls or an engraved engagement ring given to a coming-of-age granddaughter. There’s intimacy and storytelling to the act of sharing heirlooms, and it’s an experience that fathers and sons have historically missed out on. But now, that seems to be changing. Look no further than the Fall 2025 menswear runways, where accessories evoked the sentimentality of passed-down pieces. At Prada, models in sharp button-down collars wore kitschy red-bauble earrings that reminded me of my grandmother’s supersized studs. Louis Vuitton took a nostalgic hyper-masculine approach, leaning into old-school hip-hop with bold mixed-metal statements. And Simone Rocha played with the matronly associations of pearls by layering them with heavy-duty chains on male models. For years, accessorizing has been evolving beyond gender boundaries, with Polaris Market Research predicting that the value of the global men’s jewellery market will double between 2023 and 2032. I see it every day on Toronto’s sidewalks: One of my best friends always has Gothic-style chandeliers dangling from his ears, and my favourite barista’s fingers are practically weighed down by vintage cocktail rings. From runways to real life, men are not just wearing jewellery—they’re sporting conversation-starting pieces with a story. [instagram-oembed url=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DRr8AlnjZPr/” /] The trend has extended to heritage maisons with legacies built on crafting women’s accessories. Van Cleef & Arpels’s historic Alhambra necklace—a delicate chain with a four-leaf-clover motif—was created in 1968 as a good-luck charm for women but has been embraced in recent years by tastemakers like Drake and LeBron James. The brand celebrates this shift, proclaiming that the Alhambra “has become a perfect complement to contemporary men’s fashion.” Tiffany & Co. has also embraced timeless accessorizing for all, expanding its range to include genderless pearl rings and gender-neutral takes on famed Elsa Peretti designs. These offerings encourage men to piece together a collection that’s meant to last. In 50 years, perhaps it won’t be uncommon for boys to gaze into their grandfathers’ jewellery boxes for necklaces and bangles to inherit. This idea would have seemed impossibly out of reach not too long ago. Men were actively discouraged from wearing jewellery during “The Great Male Renunciation” (a period spanning the late-18th and early-19th centuries). And when patriarchal societies called for men to pare down their style during the Industrial Revolution, it devalued the importance of jewellery as heirlooms. It also created a harsh precedent wherein the idea of being a man was rooted in repressing self-expression.
Doublet Menswear
At the cost of not wanting to come off as being girlie, men lost the rich ancestral language and connection that’s encoded in generational items. But these days, intentionality in menswear is actually encouraged. Think of how, on any red carpet, the style choices of Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo and Lewis Hamilton are as hotly anticipated as those of their female counterparts. It’s now cool for men to care about clothes, and reviving a lineage of heirlooms offers them a renewed sense of kinship. It also helps tell their stories.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Today’s style stars are known for wearing unconventional collector’s items. Lil Uzi Vert has been seen rocking a classic Bulgari Serpenti necklace. Timothée Chalamet rivals him with his penchant for chokers. And Frank Ocean’s jewellery brand, Homer, was founded on the premise of counteracting what is trending, instead selling sculptural pendants and high-shine rings that reflect his artistry. Together, these influential figures are helping set the stage for a new era of men—those who know that pieces shine the brightest when they really reflect the wearer.
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images
As for my accessorizing journey, I dream big about the legacy I want to leave behind. So far, my collection is small: an undular statement ring, a pair of oval hoops and a makeshift pendant necklace fastened from a broken floral earring. It’s simple but special to know that one day someone generations down the line will be able to trace my path by feeling the dents I’ve etched into the silver. Hopefully, my pieces will help guide that person forward. This article first appeared in FASHION’s Winter 2026 issue. Find out more here. Continue Reading
