The Rise of Genderless Jewellery: Why More Men Are Wearing Charms Too
If you think of jewellery as a "women's category," history actually disagrees with you. For most of human civilisation, jewellery wasn't gendered at all, it was a marker of status, belief, and wealth, worn by whoever held power or position, regardless of gender. The idea of jewellery as primarily a women's category is a relatively recent, and increasingly outdated, cultural narrowing.
Jewellery wasn't always gendered
Ancient Egyptian pharaohs, both male and female, wore elaborate jewellery as a mark of divine status. Roman men commonly wore signet rings, used to seal official documents, as an everyday part of formal dress. In many African, South Asian, and Indigenous cultures throughout history, jewellery worn by men has been just as elaborate, and just as symbolically significant, as jewellery worn by women, tied to rank, marital status, spiritual belief, or tribal identity.
The strict Western association of jewellery with femininity largely solidified during specific periods of the 19th and 20th centuries, as fashion norms became more rigidly divided by gender. It wasn't a universal rule of human history, it was a relatively narrow cultural moment.
What's changing now
In recent years, that narrow framing has been steadily loosening. More men are wearing chains, rings, and charm jewellery as an unremarkable part of everyday style, not as a statement of rebellion or irony, but simply as personal expression. Musicians and athletes have played a visible role in this shift, but the bigger story is quieter: everyday men gradually feeling more comfortable choosing jewellery based on what they like, rather than what's traditionally been assigned to their gender.
Charms, specifically, are having a moment
Charm jewellery in particular has found real traction beyond a strictly female audience. A charm necklace built around personal meaning, hobbies, symbols of protection, sentimental references, isn't inherently gendered in concept at all; it's simply a wearable form of storytelling. As charm jewellery has grown more customizable and design-forward, it's increasingly being embraced by men building their own personal collections, in exactly the same spirit as anyone else.
India's own history of jewellery on men
India offers some of the clearest historical evidence against jewellery being a "women's category." Mughal emperors and Rajput kings were famously bedecked in pearls, emeralds, and gold, jewellery signalled power and status as much as any weapon or throne did. In many Indian communities today, men still wear jewellery as an unremarkable part of tradition: gold chains, kadas (bangles), and rings worn by grooms during weddings, or the sacred thread and protective amulets worn by men across various regional customs. The idea of Indian men wearing jewellery isn't new or borrowed from the West, it's a continuation of a tradition that runs deep in Indian history.
Brands are catching up
The jewellery industry itself has been adjusting. Where collections were once explicitly marketed as "for him" or "for her," with meaningfully different designs, more brands are now designing genderless collections from the outset, pieces meant to be chosen based on personal style rather than assigned gender. This shift reflects a broader retail trend: fewer categories built around who's "supposed" to wear something, more built around what someone actually wants to wear.
Why this shift matters
Beyond fashion, this shift reflects something bigger: a gradual loosening of rigid rules about self-expression in general. Jewellery has always been one of the most direct ways humans communicate identity, and expanding who feels welcome to use that form of expression is, in a real sense, expanding whose story gets to be visibly told.
