Non-Binary Bling: How High Jewelry Lost Its Sex and Gained Appeal
It’s the belief of collectors that fashion is cyclical. Keep it in your closet and give it 20 years and the style will come back around. Perhaps the same can be said of society and gender roles. Pink, once a color worn by French male aristos for its red hue symbolic of blood, a masculine sign of a war hero, lost its phallic association in the 1950s as the pale preferred color of then-First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower. Antiquated as her taste may have been, compared to the incoming style powerhouse of the Kennedys, her public platform assured her a lasting influence that saw every little American girl wrapped in a cloud of cotton candy. Peering into the windows of today’s trend-worthy fashion houses, it’s clear to see that the market is swiftly blurring its gender lines. Gone are the days of sex defined by pink or blue. Society is flipping gender roles around, and men in high jewelry are taking cues from women’s fashion.
In contrast to the more recent timelines of the Western World, where women set the mode, the 19th century saw India and its abundant source of gems as a stylistic sign of vigor; it is in India that men set the high jewelry trend. The Indian court culture required kings and princes to display their position by literally carrying the weight of their wealth by wearing layers of cut stones from turban to neck. The swelling of the British Empire into the land of the Maharajas was the seat of male-to-female status appropriation through gems. As the arbiter of the Gilded Age style, Queen Alexandra, commonly thought to have borne a neck scar from a childhood surgery, adopted the fashion of the Indian royals by stacking chokers on multiple strands of diamonds, in order to hide the evidence of the mark. At the same time, she was sending the message to her subjects that she was the Empress of India, and they should not forget where the diamonds come from. Though the sun has set on the British Empire, we are once again seeing history repeat itself in a cyclical trend through the influential style of the Maharajas in pearls.
They may be the most controversial emblem of conservative femininity being adapted to the male figure. Pearls once thought to be the ultimate show of WASP wealth are now adorning the
clavicles of male rappers and bare-chested male models, breaking the gender role. Haughtily declaring to her followers to, “remember that Chanel Oberlin is above the law,” the fictional Scream Queen was willing to bend the gender rules to save her own skin with the admittance of the forbidden “male” sorority sister into the bitch clique, “The Chanels.” She was not, however, willing to bend the aesthetic, making sure their new male counterpart’s style matched theirs—“Chanel Pour Homme” and clad in the signature Chanel Pearls. As the face of the coveted fashion house that the infamous clique took its namesake from, Pharell hit the 2016 Paris runway wearing triple strands of Coco’s identifiable white gem, modernizing a classic trend in jewelry.
Unshy about their approach to non-binary directives, brands are prepping for the incoming wealth of the “Gen-Z” to hit the market. Tiffany & Co., reputed for its traditional approach to silver, boldly stated: “Our necklaces for men feature essential chains and I.D. tags that can be custom engraved and pendants in sleek shapes that are classic and easy to wear. Add an edge to your style with Tiffany men’s pearl necklaces and pendants.”
Designer Sheryl Jones noted: “It’s an exciting time as a fine jewelry designer because men aren’t just buying for women, they are buying it for themselves too. Brooches are worn in addition to tuxedo studs and cufflinks. I can really be creative and bold with color and the size of pieces because many of my clients are looking for unique jewelry that reflects their own style and personality.”
Swiss-based brand Matthia’s & Claire, known for their heritage, declared their “collection merges old-world tradition with a modern, global-inspired celebration of true artisanship. Its original, handcrafted fine jewelry is enlightened, with each piece perpetuating both past and present, and inviting its wearer to participate in the story-making of a future heirloom.” Regardless of sex.
Gender appropriation reaches beyond the time of Versailles, when the Hope diamond, once known as the “French Blue,” worn by the Louis’ in a special pendant reserved only for the king, was later recut and fashioned for the Hope family and finished its notorious life in modern high society around the neck of Washington, DC-based Heiress Evalyn Walsh Mclean. Displaying its cursed beauty held no gender preferences.
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