Most men own very little jewellery, and keep almost all of it for the rest of their lives. That is the whole difficulty of buying him a piece, and the whole reason it is worth getting right. A short guide to choosing one he will actually wear.
Think about the jewellery the men you know have kept. A grandfather's signet ring. A watch from a twenty-first birthday. A small pendant on a cord that he has never once taken off, and never once explained.
None of those were chosen because they were in fashion that year. They were kept because someone picked them for a reason, and the reason stayed true.
That is the test worth using. Not "will he like it?", but "will it still mean something to him in ten years?"
Start with what he already wears
The easiest way to buy a man jewellery is to look at what is already on him, and add one thing that belongs next to it.
- He wears nothing at all. Start with a pendant. It sits under a shirt until he decides it doesn't, it needs no size, and it is the easiest piece to get used to. A ring on a man who has never worn one can feel strange for weeks.
- He wears a watch. A cuff on the other wrist, or a single ring. The watch has already taught him to wear metal every day.
- He wears a wedding band. A second ring on the other hand, or on the little finger. There is more about that tradition in Pinky Rings for Men.
- He already wears plenty. Go for the piece with the best story, because he will be asked about it.
Getting the size without asking
Asking a man his ring size spoils the surprise and usually gets you a shrug. A few quieter ways:
- For a ring, borrow one he already wears on the same finger and measure the inside diameter, or draw round the inside on paper. Our ring size guide turns that into a US size. If you have to guess, guess a little large, because a big man's knuckle is often wider than you expect.
- For a cuff, his watch strap tells you a lot. The hole he uses, measured from the buckle, is close to his wrist size. Most of our cuffs are open at the back and can be shaped a little by hand, and the cuff guide explains how to choose between sizes.
- For a pendant, there is nothing to measure. That is half the reason pendants make good first gifts.
Choose the story, not the symbol
Every symbol on our bench has a story behind it, and the right gift is usually the one whose story already sounds like him. Not what it is supposed to bring him. What it says about who he is.
For the man who reads the old northern stories. The Odin Necklace puts the gold over the eye Odin gave up for wisdom, which makes it a good piece for someone who has paid for what he knows. The Roaring Bear Ring comes out of the same world. There is more in The Bear's Shirt and Odin's Two Ravens.
For the man who goes to the mountains. The Wind Horse Locket opens, so you can put something small inside before you give it: a note, a pressed flower, a scrap of a map. The lungta is the horse Tibetans print on prayer flags and let the wind carry. Read Lungta, the Wind Horse first, and write the reason on the card.
For the man with Celtic roots, or a garden he won't stop talking about. The Son of the Forest Ring is a good first ring for someone who has never worn one: a flat signet face, nothing that catches, and a Tree of Life with no beginning and no end. The Sun and Moon Necklace turns on two pivots, day on one face and night on the other, and its rim can be engraved with a name or a date.
For the man who makes things with his hands. Give him the piece where the work shows most. The Dragon Ring has antlers standing free of the skull and red copper flames running up both shoulders. The Taotie Bangle takes its face from Bronze Age ritual vessels. A maker will turn either one over in his hand for a long time.
For a milestone. A graduation, a fortieth, a first child, a business that finally made it. That is what a signet ring has always been for, and the history is in Signet Rings for Men.
A note on price
Our pieces are carved by hand from sterling silver and finished with 24K gold fused in at about 900°C, then re-cut under a 40× microscope. Some take two weeks at the bench. That is what the price is paying for, and it is why they sit where they do.
- A first piece: the Garuda Garnet Pinky Ring, the Son of the Forest Ring, the Forest Lodge Bell Pendant, the Roaring Bear Ring.
- A statement: the Dragon Ring, the Forest Spirit Deer Ring, the Sun and Moon Necklace, the Wind Horse Locket, the Odin Necklace.
- An heirloom: the cuffs. The Son of the Forest Cuff, the Wind Horse Cuff, the Six-Tusked Elephant God Cuff.
Most of these are gathered in one place in our Gifts for Him collection. Every piece is made by hand, so if it is for a particular date, order early and check the delivery estimate at checkout.
Write the card
This is the part people skip, and it is the part that lasts. One or two lines on why you chose this piece for him. Not what it is, he can see that. Why it made you think of him.
Years from now someone will ask him about the ring, or the pendant he never takes off. What he tells them will be what you wrote.
Men rarely ask for jewellery. They just never take off the piece someone chose for a reason.
Gifts for Him · Son of the Forest Ring · Odin Necklace · Wind Horse Locket
More from the Journal: Ring Size Guide for Men · How to Wear a Men's Cuff · Signet Rings for Men