It was dancer and comic Rita Rudner who said, "I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewellery."
Whether they are better prepared for marriage is debatable, but if the number of jewellery stores displaying accessories for men is anything to go by, there has certainly been a surge in the sales of men's jewellery across the world. More and more men are now stepping into gold shops to choose for themselves, say those in the business.
Since time immemorial, gold, diamond and precious stones have had a certain allure. They represent power, class, authority and control. Bracelets, necklaces and rings have all been known to denote power. "[But] times have changed," says Christiano Benuvuti, sales director, Italian Luxury Industries, Vicenza, Italy, makers of the famed Baraka bracelets and other power-play accessories for men. "These days, if a man wears loud jewellery, he has to be either a rap star or a celebrity. The new words are sophistication and minimalism.
So, what does Baraka denote? "We make pieces of jewellery that are created to satisfy male vanity. Baraka's history goes back three decades, and the techniques, materials and craftsmanship in the making of a piece define men's jewellery. This is why it has become an important benchmark in its field."
Known for its intensive and style-oriented research, the brand is also renowned for the use of some unconventional and innovative materials in jewellery. The combination of gold and rubber, for instance, is a revolutionary innovation from the house of Baraka. It became an instant hit when launched, and continues to be successful even today.
"It is all about the ease of wearing it," explains Benuvuti. "You can wear it every day, and more importantly, it suits every occasion. You can wear it for informal occasions as well as to board meetings. Our consumers eventually want to wear something that is durable, flexible and good to look at."
The men's necklace range is made from 18k gold with natural rubber, and a gold and high-tech ceramic pendant (with or without diamonds) completes the picture. The finished product is a piece that is elegant, sophisticated and understated. Incidentally, Baraka has filed numerous patents for its unique clasps, chain mesh designs and types of swivel joints.
The Baraka bracelets have been renowned for the past ten years, says Benuvuti. ‘‘Before that, the rings were more popular. However, more and more men have started to appreciate other accessories like cufflinks and chains with pendants. The price range of Baraka products start from 300 euros (Dh1,624) and go up to more than 30,000 euros (Dh16,240). Our attempt is to offer variety to all kinds of people."
In the UAE, the jewellery that sells the most is made of ceramic and 18k gold, and this includes the classic Baraka rubber and gold bracelets. "Baraka's bracelets... are perfect for even boardroom wear," he smiles. "Why? Because they are not flashy."
"We occasionally also come up with fascinating themes that have a hint of mischief. Made of white gold, pink gold, rubber, stainless steel and black steel, these make for memorable gifts. You would probably be amused to know that we have had several women buying the Casino's white and pink gold bracelet for themselves!"
Baraka's jewellery selection offers a spread of other creations such as grooved and sleek finger rings in stainless steel with a ‘thread' of pink gold running through their centre, a black stainless steel and 18k pink gold ring ‘punctuated' with screws and pieces combining gold, natural rubber and high-tech ceramic.
Why does Baraka use a lot of black and white in their creations? Benuvuti has the answer: "Be it jewellery or clothing, most men like to stick to classics. And black and white are very basic colours. However, we do have bracelets in other colours like red, green and white ceramic, but the majority of our male clientele likes to stick to minimal colours. There is only a very small percentage of men who prefer colour. Since we promote coloured bracelets as unisex items, these are more often bought by women. This is especially true for the white ceramic bracelets, which are considered to be more feminine. Men like to be adventurous, so they do buy the ceramic jewellery, but not as much as women do. Women also like to buy the key chains, which again have a unisex appeal and design aesthetic."
Men like detailing
Another hard-to-miss detail of Baraka jewellery is small but typical touches, like the attention paid to the design of the screws. "This lends an elegant look to the piece of jewellery. It is also a trademark for us to put a small accent in pink and gold somewhere on our products. But it does depend on the market where we are selling the jewellery. Some markets accept the colour wholeheartedly, but in some other places, preference is given to yellow gold over pink."
Who is the target buyer?
According to Benuvuti, their target is the man who wants to look distinguished and ‘different'. "The Baraka man can be of any age," he says. "We like to sell our jewellery to men who want to please themselves and look nice. There is a section of clientele that consists of younger men who dress like rap stars and want chunky jewellery. But we are best for the man who wants a hint of sophistication.
"In some countries men prefer to wear 22 carat gold and in some others, 24 carat. In Canada, for example, men prefer 10 carat gold. In Italy, most men like to wear 18 carat gold."
When it comes to colours in gold, the envelope is still to be pushed. For example, purple gold is not yet being introduced. Men in general, he feels, are still conservative and do not want to be so adventurous.
Benuvuti also does not think that accessories for men in gold are anything new. In ancient civilizations, heads of tribes and countries wore plenty of jewellery in gold and other precious stones. Wearing jewellery shows that a person is influential and very wealthy."
So, how is a design born? "There are around six designers in the team," he says. "We have brainstorming sessions before we begin working on a design. We offer ideas on what we'll need in terms of shape and pricing. Once done, we choose from among the sketches. We do chemical tests to see if there are any allergy problems with the product. Once a sample is seen and examined, we go ahead with the production. We also offer the samples to people to test and see if they have any problems with it."
What next?
After gold and diamonds in jewellery, Baraka came up with bracelets in steel and then in rubber. So what's next? "I think the ceramic bracelets when mixed with diamonds and gold will be different. This range is elegant, sporty, flexible and long-lasting," he says.Long lasting? Does ceramic not break? "Nothing is forever," he replies. "Even a gold chain can break. In the case of ceramic jewellery, we do our tests and have found that in everyday use, breakage may not really happen.
Another interesting material in the Baraka range is the black diamond. "Lots of men don't like to wear white diamonds because they are considered more feminine," says Benuvuti. "So we are now working more with black diamonds."
He says he is happy to notice that men are slowly moving away from thick rope-like chains to more sophisticated jewellery with diamond settings. The latter are not only more classy, they are better-crafted too. "But let us not forget the boy inside every man," he says. Almost every man likes to familiarise himself with the nuts and bolts and this is the reason the range has bracelets that have little details like screws and locks. This make the accessories more appealing to men. After all, boys will be boys.
