What are the reasons that men are buying themselves increasing amounts of jewellery? A new survey attempts to discover the reasons.

According to Antwerp Facets, men and jewellery are not usually words that go together, unless it’s in the sense of the man buying an engagement or wedding ring or anniversary or birthday gift. However, in recent years, men appear to be taking a greater interest in buying jewellery for themselves.

Not surprisingly, it has been stars of the music, movie and sports industry that have provided a lead in encouraging men to wear jewellery. However, with the men's jewellery market in the United States estimated at just $6 billion, it is clear that men are still buying understated items, such as a special watch, bracelet or cufflinks, rather than the heavy gold and diamond jewellery favoured by flamboyant rap stars.

The unexpected rise in sales of men’s diamond jewellery is one of the few bright spots in the luxury fashion diamond market, according to Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing. “It used to represent 10 percent of purchases, but now it’s 20 percent. We think it shows that men are getting more serious in terms of formal dressing. It’s a statement that, ‘I’m here, I’m successful.’”

According to a poll carried out by Unity Marketing, the men's jewellery sector has been one of the few stand-out aspects of the luxury fashion diamond market in the past few difficult years. Danziger believes that the rise is directly related to the tough economic situation, since men may be using jewellery to stand out from the crowd in a crowded labour market. Other observers see the trend as part of a continuously evolving definition of masculinity.

Furthermore, it appears to be the men themselves – wealthy young individuals usually under the age of 40 with an average annual salary of around $220,000 – who are doing the buying. Sales are particularly strong in large metropolitan centres, such as New York and Los Angeles.

The rise in sales of male jewellery in the modern era is identified as beginning around a decade ago with the emergence of the so-called metrosexual. A sophisticated, city-living, professional who took care of his appearance, he was seen as being influenced by a new breed of superstar, such as soccer player David Beckham, or actors such as Brad Pitt, Jamie Foxx or George Clooney. Italian luxury jeweller Bulgari used movie star Ben Stiller and soccer player Ronaldinho to advertise their men's rings.

As a buyer of skin-care products and sharp clothes, becoming jewellery-conscious was the next logical step for the metrosexual. Being blinged out was not the aim, but rather, as seen repeatedly on the red carpet at major movie awards shows, a sophisticated look including a diamond-set watch, cufflinks or ring.

Where Jacob & Co., had already built a huge reputation as jeweller to today's stars, a new generation of designers has come of age, with Jason Hoehn, for example, selling platinum sunglasses set with 3.44 carats of G+, VS + white diamonds for up to $30,000 a pair. His clientele include singers Usher, Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake.

Meanwhile, Simmons Jewellery Co, co-founded by rap star Russell Simmons, which initially catered to an exclusive clientele, has launched a line of bracelets, chains, rings, pendants and earrings for men sold at Macy’s department store. Tiffany & Co. has grown its watch and cufflink collection to include a range of men’s jewellery featuring silver pendants, rings and bracelets. A growing trend where men go to mainstream stores such as H&M and Macy's to pick up a pair of cufflinks or bracelet, has also been identified.

However, it is not just mostly single professional young men with a care for their appearance who are part of the new trend towards wearing jewellery. They have been joined by a growing number of “mengagements,” where women are proposing to men. In a sign of equality, men are happy to wear the rings to show their partners that they are also "off limits".

Early last year, British jeweller H. Samuel, part of the Signet Group, launched a collection of rings called Tioro. One of them is a titanium and diamond ring, marketed as “an engagement ring for men, allowing women to propose to their man.” The aim is that when couples get engaged, they propose to each other simultaneously, thus taking part in the event equally. Although the trend is still at an early stage, it appears to be catching on in the United States, with a consequent impact on diamond sales.

But what kind of jewellery are men interested in, which type of men are buying and how much are they willing to spend? Those were among the questions posed in a study of men's jewellery in the USA and Canada by the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC). The survey discovered that the type of jewellery owned by men remains fairly conventional, with 67 percent naming wedding rings and 53 percent with watches, while other rings was cited by 42 percent. Just 15 percent said they owned pendants such as dog tags, 20 percent wear earrings, and 24 percent own accessories such as cufflinks.

Similarly, when asked what type of fine jewellery they buy for themselves, 58 percent said watches, while 20 percent said wedding rings, and 32 percent replied other rings. However, almost a fifth, 19 percent, said they did not buy any items. When questioned on whether they planned to buy jewellery for themselves over the coming year, men were again coy about their intentions with only 16 percent saying yes, while 32 percent said perhaps, and 24 percent saying not in the coming year but maybe afterwards. Meanwhile, 13 percent said no but they might buy jewellery for someone else. Just 15 percent replied "No, I never buy jewellery for myself".

There was a positive response from the diamond industry's perspective when those surveyed were asked what type of gemstones, if any, would feature in the jewellery they planned to purchase. More than half, 56 percent, answered diamonds, and 41 percent said coloured gemstones, although almost a third, 32 percent, said the jewellery they would buy would not be set with any stones.

Again, when asked if they liked jewellery for men that was diamond-set, 51 percent responded in the positive, while 22 percent said they owned diamond jewellery and would like more. Just 19 percent said they did not own diamond jewellery, and a relatively small number, just 8 percent, were of the opinion that men should not wear diamond jewellery.

When asked which fine jewellery they wore on at least four days a week, more than half cited wedding rings, although watches and other rings were lower at 45 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Accessories such as cufflinks dropped to just 5 percent while pendants such as dog tags fell to 10 percent.

Given the reported rise in jewellery sales, answers to the question of whether men were wearing more jewellery nowadays came as something of a surprise. The survey of 307 men showed that 46 percent reported that it was the same, while 28 percent answered no, and only slightly more than a quarter, 26 percent, responded in the affirmative.

Asked if they were wearing more jewellery over the past year, just 19 percent said that they were, with almost half, 47 percent, replying that it was about the same, while 28 percent said they were not. One encouraging sign, however, came with the figure of just 6 percent who said they were not wearing any jewellery at all.

In answer to what was the main reason they were wearing more jewellery, there were varied reasons, ranging from "I have more jewellery to wear" at 25 percent, to "I am now retired so I can wear jewellery" at 6 percent. In second place at 21 percent was the answer that a special person had given the respondent an item of jewellery. Among the most promising answers for the jewellery industry was that the respondents liked jewellery they had seen in a store so they bought some. However, that only accounted for 15 percent of those surveyed.

A question concerning whether family and friends were wearing more jewellery in recent years also gave mixed results. Although 38 percent said that was indeed the case, and only 29 percent replied in the negative, more than a third, 36 percent, said they had not noticed, suggesting that for many men jewellery was not a particularly important factor in a person's overall appearance.

And, again, when asked which items of jewellery they had noticed men wearing over the past year, 39 percent said earrings, 28 percent watches and 27 percent said necklaces – all items that are not likely to contain a great deal of diamonds.

However, the situation improves in answer to a question about what type of jewellery those surveyed had noticed more men wearing in the past year, with diamond jewellery being cited by 27 percent.

When questioned on where they would buy jewellery, men appeared to be well aware of the different options available. They have a preference for chain jewellery stores or their web sites at 42 percent, and local independent stores or their web sites at 41 percent.

Given the many reports in recent years that men prefer to do their jewellery shopping online at Internet stores rather trudging through shopping malls from one store to another, it came as something of a surprise to discover that only 30 percent cited online only retailers, such as Blue Nile. Meanwhile, mass market stores such as Wal-Mart and Target or their web sites, and shopping club stores or their web sites such as Sam's Club and Costco were not the chosen location for jewellery purchases for most men, with scores of 21 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

On the all-important issue of amounts of money that men would be willing to spend on jewellery, it was encouraging that only 8 percent opted for the $100 or less category, however almost a quarter, 23 percent, chose the next level of $101 to $250, while the figure for the $251-$500 category was selected by only 18 percent. Meanwhile, the figure of $501-750 was selected by 12 percent, while the $751-$1,000 category was only chosen by 9 percent. The three categories encompassing $1,001-$3,000 were only selected by a combined 12 percent.

Although the survey, as well as media reports and anecdotal evidence, point to men wearing more jewellery and feeling increasingly comfortable doing so, it is also clear that there is something holding them back from adopting it more widely. Unlike women, they still do not have a natural affinity for jewellery and prefer smaller, understated items which is likely due to a sense of self-inhibition.

On the other hand this is a clear challenge to the jewellery industry's marketing skills in persuading more men to buy and wear jewellery. In particular, it seems jewellers need to convince men to buy higher-end items, since the vast majority of jewellery pieces being bought are under the $1,000 level.