man made JEWELRY Washington DC

In the last two years, it seems as if the fine jewelry industry suddenly discovered men. Not that the industry hasn't marketed to men all along. But selling men an engagement ring is proving to be much easier than selling them men's jewelry.

While many independent retailers have carried cuff links for years, an avalanche of new collections has appeared. Most are dominated by alternative metals such as stainless steel, tungsten carbide, and titanium from companies like Edward Mirell, Triton, and Fibo Steel. Sterling silver is still a favorite, and brands like David Yurman and John Hardy have pursued the men's business for years, making them leading suppliers. Designer lines, such as Robin Rotenier, Heston Designs, Catherine Zedah, and Konstantino have also been pursuing the men's category.

Diamond "bling" jewelry has also found a following from low-carat versions in mall kiosks to steel and diamond jewelry from hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons, and high-end offerings from Chris Aire, Jacob & Co., and Rocawear. Some lines specifically target niche markets, such as Love & Pride, a collection aimed at gay men. Others, such as Cadillac Hammer and Chevron Royale, make no bones (skulls maybe) about pursuing rock and roll, chick-chasing straight guys who wouldn't ever think of wearing a diamond.

Yet even with rising prices, 14k and 18k—even some 24k—gold is being offered in men's collections. Some diamond brands have introduced men's higher end diamond looks including Hearts On Fire and Nikos. Gravure recently added men's diamond bands and engagement and anniversary rings, some in green, white, and rose gold combinations.

Red carpet coverage today is likely to feature men's as well as women's jewelry. Hollywood icon Brad Pitt even co-designs his own men's collection for Italian jewelry house, Damiani.

Even the most affluent of jewelers are taking on men's jewelry. Harry Winston recently tapped menswear designer Thom Brown, recipient of the 2006 Council of Fashion Designers' menswear award, to create a line of jewelry and timepieces scheduled for mid-2007.

This flurry of fine men's jewelry—let alone trend jewelry sold in heaps at retailers such as H & M and Urban Outfitters—has garnered the attention of the media. What could be a more authoritative comment on the burgeoning market than The Wall Street Journal calling jewelry for men "the fastest growing sector in the fine jewelry industry."

The Journal quoted Allen Steinmetz, CEO of Strategic Consulting, a New York marketing firm, who said that men's jewelry is moving into the mainstream, along with shopping for premium denim or skin care lines. "Accessorizing with jewelry is part of all that."

When Modern Jeweler recently asked readers whether they had expanded their men's jewelry offerings and whether they expected future increases, more than 50 percent of the stores replied in the affirmative.

But many retailers, from independents to chains, also are saying they haven't seen a dramatic pickup in sales of men's jewelry. One buyer for a chain who picked up two new men's collections says, "Yes, there are some sales. Would you call them important? Hardly. Men's jewelry is still a small portion of the business."

Buyers also admit there have been almost no marketing or advertising dollars devoted to men's. "The truth of the matter is that we cannot afford to do that. High margin merchandise such as women's diamond jewelry is too large and important," says another buyer.

WHAT'S REALLY SELLING

The Wall Street Journal cites Tiffany & Co., which expanded from mostly cuff links into rings, pendants, bracelets, and other classifications for men, as attributing 2 percent of the retailer's total sales to men's jewelry. Other industry estimates put all men's fine jewelry sales at about 10 percent. When asked about sales of recently acquired men's jewelry lines, many independent jewelers echo a small percentage range, usually between 2 percent to 7 percent.

"It may not add up to much yet," says David Sherwood of Daniel's Jewelers, Culver City, California, "but that's more than before, which was basically nothing." Indeed, Sherwood notes that the addition of men's lines gives independents another reason for a man to come into the store, especially if the jeweler doesn't carry watches.

Sherwood says alternative metal lines have been doing best, but only those with diamonds. "Anybody can go on eBay or the Internet and pick up a really inexpensive tungsten ring. As jewelers, you have to set yourself apart."

Leo Hamel & Co. of San Diego jumped onto the men's jewelry bandwagon by putting in Scott Kay's sterling line. Like many retailers, Hamel's Dano McCarthy says bracelets sell the best. "Men understand them because they are used to wearing a watch on their wrist. Also the popularity of the yellow Live Strong rubber bracelets has made men more aware of accessories in general," says McCarthy. While a sale of men's jewelry isn't going to make Leo Hamel's year, it offers opportunity for additional sales. "We have many women sales associates. If they sell a watch to a man, he listens if they then suggest a bracelet to go with it."

Lou Guarino of Louis Anthony, Pittsburgh, reportedly has one of the largest Yurman men's businesses outside of Neiman Marcus. Although Yurman and other brand names typically have fared best in specialty store settings along with menswear, Louis Anthony has cultivated its men's clientele by example. Guarino always makes sure he is wearing cuff links, bracelets, or other items in his store or at community functions. The same goes for his sales associates. This year he added Nikos, a line he says appeals to a younger customer but not "super flashy." Bracelets sell well here, too, especially the Italian line Sauro where about 30 styles are offered in cases adjacent to fine watches.

WORKING MEN

Successes—and disappointments—in men's jewelry run a gamut not unlike that found in women's jewelry. What started off as a seemingly obvious attempt to capitalize on the "metrosexual" male has become much more complicated. In past years, a few dozen styles of cuff links would have been adequate to meet the demand. Today, however, the men's business has become as complex as the women's. Consequently so has the marketing.

"It takes time to build a men's business," says Craig Marinovich of Coeur de Lion. The men's business usually begins with a store suggesting that the bride purchase an item for her intended. Marinovich has also opened his own gallery where he has discovered first hand the questions male consumers have about jewelry. "We have been experiencing a growing business in specialization for men. This is something new. The male customer wants to know how you can make his pieces specialized and individual and they are willing to pay more to do that. They are demanding and paying closer attention to the details of the piece. There's a barrier that has been broken, and that's good."

One of the greatest changes, and thus challenges, in the men's market is the new acceptance of diamond and other gemstones in jewelry. Obviously this trend has much to do with the influence of popular culture, particularly professional athletes. When American men's greatest role models and heroes, athletes, can remain masculine icons while wearing diamonds, the trickle down theory applies. That's why so many sterling, steel and alternative metal lines use diamonds, albeit small and discreet, in lines aimed at the American male.

The difficulty in some cases is that if a man wears diamond jewelry, his wife or girlfriend or significant other is going to request some diamond jewelry that's equally significant. Simon G., which has sold men's 18k gold and diamond rings, found that there's a glass ceiling on many men's diamonds, about $2,000. Higher than that and "you are daring the wife to say where are my diamonds." It may be an amusing situation, but it happens everyday, even to the most affluent of customers who can afford to spend more than $2,000 on men's diamond jewelry.

Chris Aire, who has made his name selling diamonds to professional sport athletes and entertainers, says he believes that many of the stories about men's jewelry have been exaggerated. "There's a learning curve needed in men's jewelry. You have to learn how to sell it, attract the customer, and promote it." Some of Aire's collection has price points that rival major women's diamond jewelry. But that hasn't necessarily been a problem. "Whatever he spends on himself, he is going to have to spend even more on her jewelry." Consequently, Aire and other brands have expanded into women's diamond jewelry, reversing the trend where women's jewelry lines are introducing men's collections.

Robin Rotenier started his business a little more than 10 years ago and found its niche with novelty cuff links, mostly silver. Since then he has built a large men's business with stores such as Neiman Marcus. He now has an extensive line of women's jewelry too.

Retailers that are successful today in men's jewelry began about a dozen years ago, Rotenier says. "It's been a gradual movement up and stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Mitchell's, and others have been on the forefront of growing men's jewelry."

When Rotenier began it was during the emergence of casual Friday. However, the pendulum has now swung back with more emphasis on tailored clothing and French cuff shirts, even if they are worn in a more casual way. "Today you can find French cuff shirts at Banana Republic or Bergdorf," Rotenier says. His average price points reflect the general trend toward more expensive and better men's furnishings. "When I started out my average ranged from $165 to $235 at retail. Nowadays stores can sell cuff links at $300 to $500 without resistance."

Rotenier says that the recent rash of men's launches is a welcome sign. He warns, however, that retailers deciding to expand into men's use caution. "The worse thing a retailer can do is jump into the men's business and try to do everything. By adding too many materials, looks, and classifications, you can choke a store and confuse a customer who may not be familiar with the array in men's jewelry."

That's the philosophy that has worked at better specialty stores which often have an advantage over independents in the men's category. Besides the fact they have a jump start on selling men, often with branded merchandise, they have the clothing that demanded the finishing touches that jewelry provides. "If a man spends several hundred up to several thousand dollars on a suit, then shirts and ties, the cuff links and other jewelry are comparatively inexpensive."

A specialty store that has capitalized on its ready to wear business to leverage men's jewelry is Stanley Korshak, the Dallas-based emporium for affluent consumers. The store has a strong tailored menswear business, more on the conservative side. Yet customers here often spend thousands of dollars for suits, custom shirts, and furnishings. The addition of cuff links and other men's jewelry is a natural. Buyer Greg Ranallo says that as his customers have traded up in their tailored menswear, so have they in their jewelry and accessories. Although much of his cuff link business is in the $300 to $500 range, mostly sterling silver, "clients are moving upward. We are selling more cuff links in the $3,000 to $5,000 range, including white and rose gold versions."

This fall the store will see if a similar correlation can be made when it opens its 12,000 square foot addition which will include premium jeans, designer sports, and more casual items. Ranallo is adding jewelry to complement the "upscale casual" look of the ready to wear with lines such as Cadillac Hammer, Me & Ro, Kerry McBride, and King Baby. "There has been a demand for more casual jewelry such as pendants, which our customers have even been layering."

THE MALE MYSTIQUE

Whether you attribute the rise of men's jewelry to hip-hop stars, ball players, or Madison Avenue, the truth is there has been a dramatic change in the way products are marketed and sold to men. In the years since the overused term "metrosexual" emerged, Madison Avenue and other marketers have found they missed the mark in portraying the "metrosexual." It's a lesson that jewelry designers and retailers ought to heed.

A recent article in Business Week stated that Madison Avenue is turning its back on the metrosexual concept, one which it has been marketing ad nauseam for five years. According to a study by Leo Burnett Worldwide, men rejected the metrosexual image. They also rejected the retrosexual type as well: beer guzzling, good old guy portrayals. "Men have been portrayed as buffoonish, sophomoric or as sensitive, feminized men. The bulk of the men are somewhere in the middle," says a spokesman for Burnett. "About 79 percent say they can barely recognize themselves in any advertisement."

There's danger in presupposing what a 21st century man is, as in prejudging a typical woman client. Moreover, there's a societal change going on. Most products have traditionally been marketed to and thus bought by women. That is changing, especially in younger generations who grew up with women in more equal and stronger positions. Also, their parents, the baby boomers, tended to treat these young men more as equals. Consequently, shopping patterns have dramatically changed.

GQ, for example, found that 84 percent of men purchase their own clothes, up from 65 percent just four years ago. Moreover, 52 percent of retailers surveyed said their "typical male customers shopped at a store at least once a month, up from 10 percent in 2001." Add in that skin treatments for men (women call it beauty) have exploded—800 new men-only products were introduced in this year alone. There's also a growing market for single men to buy homes since they are getting married later.

All these factors can seem daunting when applied to the jewelry business, where there's already a dearth of authoritative consumer information. The good news, nonetheless, is that men indeed are interested in buying for themselves, taking care of themselves, and shopping for themselves. The other side of that is that selling and marketing something as personal as fine jewelry is just as complicated as selling jewelry for women.